An artist’s depiction of an empty dance studio. Graphic by Sofía Savid ‘24
By Aditi Parashar ’22
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Sashaying and pirouetting within the confines of cramped off-campus rooms became the new normal for many Mount Holyoke dance majors in March 2020, when students were sent home because of COVID-19. While many classes functioned similarly enough to the on-campus experience, the dance department saw a significant shift in their classes. The studio space, which allows students and faculty to experience community and energy through movement, was now missing from dancers’ lives. During the pandemic, professors and students had to figure out how to recreate this sense of community in a virtual environment. While dance steps and historical context of dance styles could be conveyed over Zoom, some of the joyous feelings typically expressed in the studio were absent.
Julia Madonick ’22, a dance major, missed being inspired when watching her peers dance.
“It’s hard to describe, but just being together as a class/community, there’s a certain energy that connects us,” Madonick said. “I can get through an entire class without saying a word to my friends, but I’m still connected to them because we are all focusing on our bodies, both individually and together.”
Assistant professor of dance Shakia Barron said professors in the dance department also found it hard to remain energized during Zoom classes. “The energy was challenging,” Barron said. “I would give 300-400 percent, and it was really hard to motivate them on the other side [of the screen], which, in turn, made it hard for me to feel motivated.”
“It’s hard to get energy to show up, watching someone through a screen and it’s 8:30 in the morning,” Miranda Lawson ’22, a dance major, explained.
A major hurdle for some dancers, such as Madonick, was finding a space to practice in their homes. “One of the things that was terrible about dancing on Zoom, that doesn’t really have to do with the Zoom technology portion of it, is dancing in your house or in an area that is not meant for danc[ing] means that you’re limited in how you can move, depending on objects lying around [and] people that are in the area,” Madonick said. While Zoom presented a series of challenges for dance majors, it also opened up opportunities for professors and students to adapt and grow, both individually and as a community.
“Zoom allowed for an insight into students’ li[ves] that’s not really possible in a studio space,” Barron said. Since they were actively working on fostering a sense of community in the absence of physical proximity, dance classes were able to have deep conversations, like discussing the difference between appreciating and appropriating cultures. This sense of community encouraged students to discuss facets of their lives and upbringings that Barron felt constituted a new form of connection.
In terms of unexpected benefits that came from Zoom, Barron felt it allowed for a new way of community building. Madonick found the online format let them “go back to basics,” with more time to focus on technique rather than performance.
“Being in [a] studio, there’s an expectation to be fully present,” Lawson said. “When you take that away, there’s only yourself to focus on, which made me feel like I could reconnect in a different way.”
Though the unexpected benefits of a different kind of community and the opportunity for internal focus proved valuable, the two dance majors and Barron said they would not want to return to online learning.
“Being able to see our huge open space that is meant to be used for movement purposes, I just want to use all of it every time I walk in the room, whether that’s jumping or running around or rolling on the floor extending my limbs to the widest range possible, it just feels good to take up space again,” Madonick said. “I feel rejuvenated, I feel excited, motivated, creative, imaginative, stimulated and inspired.”
Lawson also expressed excitement over returning to the studio space.
“It’s been so amazing. I’ve missed it so much. To be able to jump and feel my feet on the floor without having to think of my cat or a splinter has been so great. I’m so grateful we’re back on campus.”
Still, Barron said being back on campus doesn’t come without its challenges. For example, she explained that the mask mandate has caused several students to step out of her class due to breathing issues. She said that breath work is very important in dance, and to have it disrupted presents its own problems.
While online and offline learning both have their benefits, Madonick explained, “The whole experience can be described in two [ways]: Zoom online dance is constricted and isolated, while in-person dance is liberating and driven by connection.”