Continuing the arts despite COVID-19: local dance classes moving online

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    Portland (KPTV) — People are finding all kinds of creative ways to try and live as normally as possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic while still following the guidelines for social distancing.

That’s exactly what Beaverton dance studio ENCORE Performing Arts Center is doing. Even though students can’t come in for classes right now, owner Valerie Dawn is moving them online via live videos and pre-recorded sessions for advanced dancers down to 2-year-olds.

“…To create stability, to create the same happening because it’s so scary right now for everybody,” Dawn said. “We wanted to say, what can we do for the children to make them just be okay.”

The response has already been overwhelming and positive.

“We don’t have school for a while, but at least I know we can count on dance,” Bri Rafish said.

Rafish said her family is always on the go, so having schools closed and activities be canceled has been a huge change for her normally active family.

Her 4-year-old daughter, Kendall, would usually take six dance classes a week. Through these videos, she still can.

“We watch it on TV and we do what they do on it,” Kendall said.

It’s not a new concept for Dawn; she started doing some virtual classes when she began cancer treatment a year and a half ago. To her, expanding that program to keep her instructors employed and her students learning was a no-brainer.

“When you’re dancing, you’re not worrying about the rest of the world. You’re just getting to have fun,” Dawn said.

Not only are students still getting exposed to the arts, Dawn said they are also able to check-in with familiar faces – fellow students they are friends with and trusted adults who they can lean on, even if they have to do it virtually.

“We’re a family and sometimes [students] can ask us questions they can’t ask their parents,” she said. “[One student asked] how long do you think we’re going to be trapped? So, it was really good to just be able to talk to the kids and say it’s okay, we’re going to be able to come back together eventually.”

For the Rafish family, the living room is the new dance studio; an outlet for physical activity that also provides some structure and some new, improved family time together.

“It was such a hit and such a beautiful thing that our kids get to move and they get to have some normalcy,” Rafish said.

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