Studio keeps on dancing during lockdown
Hudson Segnit spent part of the summer at her grandparents’ house without missing any dance lessons. A student, who visited another state, was quarantined for two weeks when she came home. Despite the restriction, she learned the same routines as her classmates, and performed under the watchful eyes of her teacher.
A year ago, there was no off-site option for Aggie Kimple’s students. But COVID changed everything.
When the pandemic shut down the Dance Design Studio in March, Mrs. Kimple relied on Zoom to keep going.
All of her students used it. “They were able to see the teacher and all the other students,” Mrs. Kimple reported. “We even choreographed dances for each class.”
And there was communication. Students could ask questions, and instructors could offer tips for improvement. During the lockdown, the classes kept the kids connected to their friends and their dance teachers. It helped the students remain active while they were stuck indoors.
During the summer, the studio was permitted to open with strict social distancing rules. Although she was teaching classes in person, Mrs. Kimple decided to keep the Zoom option. It allowed Hudson to participate while she was visiting family. And it allowed some students to remain in class without showing up in person.
Even with the restrictions lifted, about a fourth of the Dance Design students opted to continue their lessons at home. They could activate Zoom on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
On Aug. 21, I visited the studio on Union Avenue in Cornwall to see the technology in action. There are many rooms in the building, which was formerly a church. Mrs. Kimple and I stayed in the main room and stared at a large screen that showed us three students (Aria Kimple, Hudson Segnit and Natalya Shannon) in a different part of the building. On an inset on the same screen, we could see what the girls were seeing. When we waved, they waved back. Then they turned off the mute option and spoke to us.
Dance Design staged an outdoor performance on Aug. 22 in the spacious grassy area behind the building. During the recital, small groups of students demonstrated the dances they learned during the shutdown.
