By: Rebecca Capozzi | Staff-Writer and Treasurer
As we all know, life has changed drastically over the past seven months. We went from living completely normal lives, to being in quarantine, to now living the “new normal.” This has taken a toll on everyone, and has really caused everyone to rethink their lives. We have also had to change the way that we live our lives.
Here at Salve Regina, every department had to come up with plans for how they were going to handle their classes this semester. Although this was most definitely difficult for all of the departments, it was especially difficult for the Department of Music, Theater, and Dance. In a regular dance class, everyone is moving around the room, dancing directly next to each other, or even doing partner work. This also occurs in theater rehearsals. Unfortunately, this is just not possible anymore.
This semester, the dance classes look very different. An instructor is in one of Salve’s two dance studios with some students, and then the rest of the students are in the other studio watching the professor over a Zoom call. Everyone has to stay in their own box and everyone is wearing masks.
“I think this situation has only helped me grow as a dancer,” said Rose Bogardus, Class of 2022. “If you asked me a year ago to learn a dance through a screen, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. On Zoom, the teacher is always reversed so you have to learn the choreography in the opposite direction of what they’re teaching. This is definitely difficult, but it’s helped with reversing the combination, which is always the most dreaded part of a class.”
This transition in the dance studio has been hard for every dancer, since no one has ever had to take a dance class in such a way prior to COVID-19. However, dancers are making the most of it. The students embracing this change the most is the Class of 2024. They knew that coming into college was going to be a huge change, but little did they know how drastic those changes would actually turn out to be. Luckily, some students were prepared for the changes that have come along with COVID-19.
“As a freshman, I obviously have never danced here, but because of COVID rules at my own studio in the spring and summer, it was an easy transition into classes here,” said Abigail Hoye, Class of 2024. “My studio had Zoom classes all through the spring and we had classes for a few weeks in the studio in the summer. We had to wear masks and stay socially distanced, so coming into classes here where it’s the same, it’s not a difficulty for me. While it would be nice to be dancing as a whole class, I was prepared for Zoom ballet class.”
Despite the physical changes in the dance studio, dancers are still receiving the same training and education that they were before. Prior to COVID-19, the Extensions Dance Company worked with guest choreographers on a regular basis. Thanks to Zoom, they are still able to do so!
“It’s a strange and different process, yet the dancers are back together in the studio and they are gaining incredibly valuable experiences by connecting with these artists and working toward a shared goal,” said Lindsay Guarino, Chair of the Music, Theater, and Dance Department.
With these guest artists, the dancers in the Extensions Dance Company are working towards one of their annual performances, Expressions for Empowerment. Normally, this performance takes place in the Casino Theater in front of the Salve community, and the performers’ family and friends. However, things are doing to be done a little differently this year, as a virtual performance is being planned for December 4th and 5th.
Performances in the theater program are also going to be very different than past performances. The students are working on The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Just like the students in the dance program, the students in the theater program are getting used to the new ways of rehearsing and the new ways of performing.
“They are balancing both virtual and in-person rehearsals with guest director Mauro Hantman, who is a member of Trinity Repertory Company in Providence,” said Guarino. “COVID restrictions, especially mask-wearing, have created many challenges to the theatre production (as you might imagine!) so they are still evaluating how to best share their efforts with the Salve community.”
There are still many unknowns when it comes to what exactly the performances are going to look like, since social distancing guidelines have to be followed and masks have to be worn. However, the program is still working towards their goal of sharing their work with the Salve community, and really hope to do so soon.
Although this is such a difficult time for everyone, it is important to keep life as normal as possible, while also being safe, of course. By being able to hold classes in the dance studio and rehearsals in the theater, the performers have some sense of normalcy, which is really important during a time like this. Life goes on during the hardest of times, and what the Department of Music, Theater, and Dance is doing is a prime example of that.
As Rose Bogardus said, “It is anything other than ideal, but we are going to get through this and not let COVID win!”
Cover Image: No Close Encounters of Any Kind on marquee of Broadway Theatre – Mt. Pleasant, MI by Dan Gaken is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
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