Owner Barb Jackman has been very busy adjusting Dance Images by BJ to a more distant, online version of the studio, but instructors and students have really only been feeling the distance physically thanks to the ongoing schedule of activities.
Jackman and the Dance Images instructors have been keeping up with their students in a number of different ways since the studio was mandated to close because of the pandemic measures in March.
For starters, all classes on the Dance Images schedule have moved onto Zoom and YouTube for now, said Jackman, running four days a week. It’s less than the studio usually has happening during the week, but it's important to Jackman to keep her dancers connected.
“We're just trying to offer our kids alternatives. Dancing in their living room isn't perfect, but it's better than not dancing at all,” said Jackman.
The studio is also running regular video meetings with dancers in all the studio’s age groups just to talk, where they do activities together and check-in with one another.
“This little connection is going to hopefully help put a little bit of a bandaid on all that the dancers are going through right now,” said Jackman.
Jackman has also been posting weekly dance challenges in the Dance Images Facebook group, daring her dancers to get creative at home and have fun while in isolation by creating their own choreography videos to share.
“We're trying to kind of keep connected with our families and help the kids stay focused on something exciting every day,” said Jackman.
Dance Images families joined an informal parade of their own on April 18, to wave hello to the instructors they’re missing at the studio during the closure. (supplied)On Easter Sunday, Jackman and two other instructors even took the time to deliver gifts for a secret gift exchange between the competition team that had to cancel their overseas trip this spring.
Dance Images also organized a studio drive-by on April 18, where instructors opened the doors of the studio and stood on the lawn to wave hello to dancers as they drove by with their families.
“It was really our first time we've seen [our dancers], except on a Zoom screen, in four weeks,” said Jackman. “So that was really amazing and I think we're going to try doing it again because we all found it really uplifting.”
Dance Images has also just launched a new community outreach series called Let’s Dance Together, where Dance Images instructors run free online classes for anyone to join. On Tuesday evenings, instructors run a hip-hop class on Zoom for ages six and up, and on Wednesday evenings is a creative movement class.
On Saturdays at noon through Instagram live, Dance Images instructors have been offering a video class focusing on a new genre each week — like jazz, musical theatre, contemporary, and more. The next live Instagram class will be on April 25, featuring hip-hop.
Since the change, Jackman has seen nothing but enthusiasm from her Dance Images family. She’s made it a priority to keep up with her dancers both in terms of their dance education and also socially.
It has been tough to be out of the studio right now, said Jackman, especially when dancers should be right in the middle of competition season.
“Our dancers train so hard at our studio and they're so committed, and our families are so committed and [this time of year] is the payoff, so it's really a bummer,” said Jackman. “We're just trying to keep the positive vibe going.”
She’s also disappointed for the handful of dancers who are graduating this year, as usually, the studio plans a few special things to celebrate with them that may not be possible this year.
“It's really tough for them because there's lots of special things that they were looking forward to,” said Jackman. “And I've got a few things that we're planning to do, but it won't be quite the same.”
Jackman hopes that by continuing a semi-regular class schedule and staying engaged through social media, dancers won’t feel like their season is over just yet — because even she’s not ready to call it just yet.
“I have not cancelled my [final] show yet, but we'll see what the next two weeks brings,” promised Jackman.
For more information on any of the video classes Dance Images is offering, or to request an invite link to the next Dance Images online class, contact the studio at 1 (306) 631-0584 or info@danceimagesbybj.com.
