COVID-19 Updates

August 2021

Today, as I was reading about the rising number of COVID cases around the world, I thought back to March 2020, when the reality of having to close down the studio to keep everyone safe in their homes, was just starting to sink in. I remember one of my students asking me “how long do you think it will be before we’re back . . . a few weeks?” To which I replied with great confidence, “maybe a month or two at most”! I was wrong.

In the first few days of the worldwide lockdown, I was genuinely optimistic and thought that we had a good chance of keeping the virus at bay long enough to all but wipe it out before things got too bad. I could see that if everyone truly did their part, we could return to some kind “normal” by the end of that summer. Sadly, that confidence started to fade in a few short weeks as we started to see case numbers increase steadily despite everyone supposedly being in lockdown. It broke my heart to know that each number I saw on the screen or heard on the radio was, a real human being and that some of those humans would never again be able to spend time with family and friends and pets. Just as heartbreaking were the exasperated voices and faces of all those who worked on the front lines, be it in the healthcare system, long term care or other essential services. I thought their stories were going to be the ones that would keep me up at night or continue to burn in me for days at a time. Again, I was wrong.

As it turns out, the stories that would eventually burn red hot in my heart were those of the people who defied rules, common sense and common courtesy. it was the stories of people gathering for parties, people running around town without a mask or people sending their kids to school even though they had felt symptoms for days. I knew humans had great potential to be all around jerks but I truly thought that in times of crisis we would be able to see past the inconveniences and restrictions to the long term benefits of being disciplined and staying the course. Again, I was wrong.

I have become tired of hearing those stories of selfishness and misplaced rage and of ignorance and indignation. There are too many people who have chosen to be part of the problem rather than the solution. I never want be part of that. I choose to be part of the solution! Therefore, I feel it just too soon to truly consider returning to a typical dance studio setting. and I no longer have the ability to hide my anger of those who continue to beIt seems that I actually live in a world where the needs of the few are apparently greater than the needs of the many. Where a birthday party for a 1 year old was more important than the lives of the guests and all who will eventually come into contact with them. Where yelling at a store clerk for 20 minutes about how oppressive mask rules are is a better use of time and energy than simply going home and shopping online with free delivery.

Where the social life of a teenager is more important than a nurse or doctor who gets to watch people die alone everyday and hasn’t had a proper day off in 3 months.

I would rather be wrong about being too conservative but live to see all my students return to the studio healthy and happy to be back than wrong about getting back to the studio just because we want to go back to normal but be potentially missing students due to my cockiness and desire to “get back to normal’.

I made predictions in the past about when I thought we’d be able to return to the studio. I was very wrong then but I don’t want to be that wrong again.