Arts

Dance Groups Plan for Unusual Fall Term

Dance groups at Andover have had to adjust to new platforms because of the virtual nature of Fall Term. An emphasis on community building and remaining flexible in the face of uncertainty has emerged, as these groups adapt to the changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought.

Celeste Robinson ’22 (Hypnotiq): One thing they’re bringing back to the dance department this year that was brought upon by [Covid-19 is] masterclasses, and we’re actually really excited about that, because in past years we’ve had guests come in, and we’re doing that again this year, but we’re also offering times in which club Co-Heads can have their own masterclasses…[A workshop led by Hypnotiq] is definitely something to look forward to in the later months. 

Ioanna Ninos ’21 Slam: [We’re] figuring out how to [cheer athletes on] virtually, whether submitting clips into [All-School Meeting], if [they’re not participating in] interscholastic competitions, [or, if] athletes are training on campus, maybe we’ll go visit them physically [and cheer them on]. So even if not a big performance, [our goal is to be] there and show our support.

Lexi Tucci ’22 Blue Strut: One advantage [of being online is] the audition process. Typically, auditions are in person and [it] can be intimidating [for] people who have never been in an audition before. This year, with auditions being video-based, I think there will be a lot more people auditioning because they can do it on their own time and don’t have the pressure of other people looking at them.

Somin Virmani ’22 Footsteps: I think I want dance as a community to work towards maintaining its openness. I would imagine that because there are dancers that already know each other, it’ll be easy to dance with each other, not realizing it’s a new school year and there [are] a lot of new students passionate about dance… [We hope to attract new members] with time, [especially] after we do a masterclass at one of the Dance Labs and people learn more about the dance styles that we [offer].

Nnenna Okorie ’22 Fusion: [In Fusion,] I don’t think we’ll be rehearsing for a specific show. I’m assuming we’ll teach choreography to get people into the habit of rehearsing with the group or getting people comfortable with the team. As of right now, we’re focused on [putting] a team together and in the fall, we’ll focus on getting [more comfortable with one another]. 

Somin Virmani ’22 Footnotes: “If you’re learning tap…  you can feel a little bit of pressure: ‘Oh, I’m going to go to a dance studio and wear tap shoes for the first time and try to learn it, but I’m going to be amongst other students that do tap dancing, so this is going to be a bit of pressure.’ But if you’re coming from a place where it’s hopefully “safe” and maybe you have space to dance, then you may feel a bit more confident in a Zoom meeting. I think it’ll be more manageable.”