Items

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  2022-02-28

  How Ballet was Effected by COVID-19

  Ballet is all about expressing emotion, but even two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the art is still being affected. Masks create limits for the art of ballet, especially when you are being judged on your artistry. Dancers had to make themselves more dynamic and expressive so judges could "see through the mask." My studio didn't require us to wear masks, so going to a competition where we were required to wear them was a huge change. But I've found that wearing a mask whilst dancing has become much more bearable as the pandemic has continued though it has taught me the innumerable value of artistry in dance, and how much meaning is lost when the movement we strive to perfect is unaccompanied by any facial expression or individuality.
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  2020-04-14

  Ballet At Home

  Things began to shut down towards the end of March 2020. At the time, my 5-year-old daughter was taking ballet classes. The dance academy canceled classes for about 2 weeks before they introduced online ballet classes through Zoom. I remember thinking how silly it was. The instructor could not do much to correct and help over Zoom, instead the kids followed along as much as possible. Eventually, the Zoom classes ended and the entire dance academy closed down for several months.
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  2020-07-22

  Online dance classes

  Trying to pivot to online dance classes. Pulled my very old ballet shoes out to try to keep up with classes during Melbourne's long lockdown in 2020. Sadly it didn't really work due to a lack of space and the fact that I have carpeted floors, but it was nice to be able to connect with friends and feel like we were doing something together.
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  2020-05

  May lockdown in Moscow

  It is just a personal experience, and I think they matter.
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  2020-11-15

  Symphony Reinvention: Orchestras, GR Ballet cope with COVID upheaval, revamp for survival

  With concert halls unable to open due to COVID-19, many performing arts groups have to find alternate ways to perform and raise money.
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  2020-08-20

  Pandemic be damned: Ahwatukee Nutcracker is a go

  The organizer of the Ahwatukee youth Nutcracker production talks about plans to go forward with the annual ballet. She also talks about the precautions being taken to protect the dancers that are auditioning and back-up plans in case the auditorium is cannot be used.
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  2020-08-19

  Russian Ballet Returned to the Stage. Then a Covid Outbreak Hit.

  This article discusses the Mariinsky Ballet, one of Russia's premier ballet companies. As Europe is a bit ahead of the United States in reopening their performing arts, they began performing in July, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, only to have to close three weeks later when the virus spread throughout the ballet corps. Since then, the Mariinsky Ballet has been criticized for returning to the stage too early, despite the precautions they made against the virus. This incident has caused several other ballet companies across Europe to rethink their own return to the stage. In spite of these issues, many dancers are also wanting to return to the stage.