Going Virtual

It was like going through the stages of grief, not being able to teach and dance together with all of my folk dance buddies when the virus hit along with shelter in place orders. I’ve been teaching three classes a week for years now; it’s part of my weekly rhythm, my friendship circle, my exercise, my fun, my way of feeling connected and happy and at peace with the world.

I still miss holding hands in a circle, and look forward to the time when we can do that again. But I’m pretty sure that time is far in the future.

So I have made the leap to go virtual. I am now teaching two weekly class via Zoom – Balkan and Israeli. It was a big leap for me (I hate new technology), but with the help of some knowledgeable and generous dance friends, I did it.

And I have discovered that I’m really loving it.

It’s different. When I teach or review a dance, I have to turn my back from the screen, so folks can distinguish left from right. I have dance far enough away from the screen so people can see my feet. It’s much harder to balance without holding hands. And it is also much harder to remember dances without that connection. You have to keep everyone muted so the music works, which means there’s much less easy casual conversation.

And – I am once again dancing regularly with my wide circle of dance friends. We chat first, just checking in, as we always did in my previous classes. I get to dance the dances I love. I get to teach again, which is one of my greatest pleasures. I’m having fun discovering new dances (and re-discovering old ones) through the wide variety of virtual folk dance classes and parties that are happening. I've come back home to dancing, and it feels good.