{"id":52404,"date":"2020-07-31T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-dances-through-pandemic-challenges\/"},"modified":"2020-07-31T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T23:00:00","slug":"durango-dances-through-pandemic-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-dances-through-pandemic-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango dances through pandemic challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n

Miriam Morgan, director of Durango Dance, uses colorful tape to create 6-foot- square zones on the dance floor, where dancers can practice routines while maintaining social distance.<\/p>\n

It is one of many changes to hit the dance world as a result of the coronavirus. Students wear masks in the studio or dance from home while joining class remotely. Morgan has even ordered televisions for studios to help the virtual lessons \u2013 now a popular choice among adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur entire business model has changed,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cBeing completely online for 2\u00bd months was really new.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pandemic has changed dance, and even threatened studios\u2019 financial stability \u2013 but it hasn\u2019t stop Durango from dancing.<\/p>\n

The arts and culture industry in the U.S. expects a $9.1 billion economic impact, measured in lost income, lost attendance and other impacts, according to Americans for the Arts. In Durango, Dance in the Rockies, which served more than 100 students, closed because of the pandemic. Ballet Durango estimates a 25% decrease in revenue in 2020, and Durango Dance\u2019s budget took a hit. Despite the turbulent time, dance directors made sure the show went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here for the long haul, and I think my students know that. We\u2019re going to find a way to make it work,\u201d said Frances Rosser Taylor, director of Ballet Durango.<\/p>\n

\"Durango
Durango Dance instructor Amanda McKovich leads a class Friday during Durango Dance Camp. The camp has helped Durango Dance remain financially stable during the pandemic.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.5% of gross domestic product, or $877.8 billion, in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nationally, the near future for arts and culture organizations is uncertain. About 17,000 organizations have weighed in on an ongoing survey<\/a> by Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit based in New York and Washington, D.C. A quarter of them expect a temporary or permanent reduction in staff members, and 59% felt confident they would survive the impact of COVID-19, as of Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cDance, especially ballet, is a way to escape from everything,\u201d said Emma Hallin, a Ballet Durango student and recent Durango High School graduate. \u201cEspecially with everything that\u2019s going on. I think now, more than ever, we need some sort of outlet. I think the arts are great for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Durango
Durango Dance instructor Amanda McKovich leads a dance class Friday during Durango Dance Camp. Students wear masks when they take breaks and dance in socially distanced zones on the floor.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rylie
Rylie Ramirez, 8, during Durango Dance Camp on Friday.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

At Ballet Durango, losing in-person classes when the pandemic response forced businesses to close was a financial hit. Rosser Taylor did not expect enrollment at Ballet Durango to return to pre-pandemic levels \u2013 class sizes have to be smaller to comply with public health guidelines and she might have to reduce the number of classes offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact will keep going. This has been very hard on a lot of dance studios both locally and nationally,\u201d Rosser Taylor said.<\/p>\n

Morgan had to postpone Durango Dance\u2019s recital to September \u2013 losing an important source of revenue that helps tide the business over through the slow summer. Dance camp, with its colorful, social-distancing zones and masked dancers, has helped the studio with cash flow, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur plan, basically, is just to get kids in the door and to think outside of the box,\u201d Morgan said.<\/p>\n

A pandemic-style of dance<\/div>\n

Time in the studio, however, is about more than finances. That\u2019s what drove studio directors to find every way possible to continue holding lessons, even during a pandemic.<\/p>\n

\"Students
Students in Durango Dance Camp play with balloons Friday. Dance has physical and mental health benefits, and helps build a sense of community for students, according to dance company directors.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIf I can\u2019t dance, I feel more depressed. I just don\u2019t feel good in my own body,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cFor our students, they\u2019ve all said this has been a light for them during the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morgan drew from other country\u2019s adaptations, like using video streaming. She quickly launched into online lessons \u2013 now popular with adults. She adapted the summer dance camp, changing how students enter the building and how lessons are taught. She even bought an ozone generator with germicidal ultraviolet light to clean the building, Morgan said.<\/p>\n

\"Ballet
Ballet Durango dancers perform during a recital July 10, which was adapted to comply with coronavirus-related public health guidelines. Ballet Durango expects to lose up to 25% in revenue because of the pandemic&#x2019;s economic impacts.<\/span>Courtesy of Frances Rosser Taylor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

At Ballet Durango, students trained all year for the national CRU Dance competition, only to have it postponed, seemingly indefinitely. Then, the studio\u2019s summer recital was postponed, and postponed again.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing the end-of-the-year recital with dance was even harder to lose (than graduation) because I hold dance closer to me, personally, than school,\u201d Hallin said.<\/p>\n

Rosser Taylor said the studio community tried everything. Finally, they were able to rent a space at La Plata County Fairgrounds. They set up a backdrop and side panels and borrowed the old floor from the concert hall to make it look like a stage.<\/p>\n

The dancers wore masks \u2013 hot and difficult to breathe in \u2013 as they rehearsed, some preparing for their last recital with the studio. Only one parent per student was allowed to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bit challenging, but the importance of wearing a mask and staying safe definitely surpassed any inconvenience,\u201d Hallin said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that all of us at the studio understood.\u201d<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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