Laura

Annette

“Covid-19 has hit hard. I lost all my gigs all of a sudden, then didn't qualify for unemployment. I have two daughters one 18 (high functioning autistic) the other is 23 and currently lives in Massachusetts. I had to do whatever I could to keep a roof over our head and food on the table, so I started applying for everything and anything I could think of because as a Dancer you’ll do anything and everything to keep an income coming in. I always say I'm a Jack of All Trades because I can do it all and nothing is beneath me. If I need to serve up a burger or deliver something then I will and as I applied, I ended up becoming a WagWalker (Dog walker on Wag) this was, and is, great. I have minimal contact with anyone and the dogs keep me happy and active. We run, walk and play besides part of picking up their poop and getting dog hair on your clothing, there isn't a lot that’s terrible. They have their own personalities and I made money. It means walking the pavement in rain or sun for many hours and getting to locations. It's not a lot of money but it's something. I've gone from Dancer to Dog Walker and hope to be dancing again soon. My specialty is Latin but I’ll do any style. I’m also hearing impaired (DEAF without my hearing aid) I miss the studio life and the music and my clients and the Dance - oh how I miss the Dance. I've been so busy walking dogs that I can't find dance classes to get in on zoom when I get home. But I'm also exhausted by then. I begin my day at 7am with my own workout at home, then walk my first dog by 9am and it goes on from then until about 10pm. I also live in Lower Manhattan so getting testing out here doesn't seem to be a priority. I think since most test sites are set up for those with cars to drive through. But, I look forward to Broadway Opening up again my last gig was promotion shows with StreetMeet Promotions . It was great! I was promoting Princess Diana The Musical, Lion King and many other shows, along with teaching dance at night with Mitchell Wayne.”

Eileen

“Grief is heavy. It weighs on your chest, clutters your mind, radiates through your body, wears down your strength, tenses your muscles, steals your feelings of safety and compromises your trust in the past, present and future. Grief also reveals us. It illuminates the dark corners of our mind, the deep feelings of insecurity and the layers of fear we can spend our days running from through over-scheduling ourselves, numbing out with screens or substances or even just denying what is truly happening. This pandemic is forcing all of us to open our eyes, our minds, our hearts. Mother Earth is suffering. We are living through a collective experience of grief and loss. It is heavy and we can't hold it alone. I am doing my best to honor myself and those around me as layers are stripped and revelations are realized as our truest selves are revealed. A painful process, but necessary.”

Ellie

“I might be the only dancer saying this, but quarantine has been what my body needed. I’ve been dealing with a bad back injury for over 3 years now and never gave myself the time to rest and heal properly. Since quarantine has started I have been able to focus on physical therapy and only taking classes that make me feel good. Although I still worry that I’m not training enough or pushing myself enough I know that my body needs to heal and at the end of all of this I will be ready to dance.”

Emma

“I have been a ballet dancer basically for my whole life. I danced professionally at 18 for a few years, then decided to get a degree in Dance from Montclair State University and I am also a teacher. The last few years, I have found myself teaching more than dancing myself. Just a few months before the quarantine I had begun dancing with American Liberty Ballet, I needed to get back on stage. Our show of Swan Lake was originally scheduled for March 14th, needless to say we had to postpone. I now find myself so fortunate to still be working through Zoom teaching most of my regular classes. I actually contracted COVID-19 but have since recovered, I am so fortunate it was not a dangerous case. Now that I am feeling better, I am starting to connect with my dance community, participating with video collaborations and creating dances for my students that will be performed virtually rather than on a stage, as originally planned. When this all started I heard some people worry that dance would never be the same after this, it couldn't survive, but I know that we will come back stronger. When it is safe to do so people will flood to the arts to satisfy the need for community and shared experience.”

Jessi

“In quarantine, I grieve the loss of normalcy. I miss “live” class, the hands on learning and the feeling of dancing together with others. But quarantine isn’t about me, it’s about keeping the vulnerable safe. This pause button forces me to reflect on the simplicity of life, it’s creator and remind myself that performing is a gift. Let’s dance till we sense God smiling. Release technique. Embrace the present, however challenging. Bring joy to the small circle we embody.”

Katie

“Quarantine has been truly an interesting journey for me. Most people don’t know this, but once you receive a green card you’re not quite out of the woods yet. You are put on a 5 year probation, and anything going against that can lead in having the card taken away. I never really thought it would be a problem until this pandemic hit. I was unable to file for unemployment and had just enough money to feed myself week to week. Going home was also out of the question as there was a risk of not being allowed back into the states after this all cooled down, as well as my family being at high risk of catching the virus. I also live alone, so the last in-person conversation I had with someone I cared about was March 16th, and then nothing until May 17th about 3 months later. I definately had many dark days, including my birthday the majority of which I spent in bed in tears, and one of the few things that made me happy (dance) most of the time, I couldn’t afford to do.

I’m very lucky to have some incredible gems of people in my life who would help me out and get me into those classes or offer help in other ways. But I was also brought up to never take money or help like this, so I started to really work on my business KAMerashoots. I started creating these boxed videos I’m sure you’ve seen on instagram that teachers post with all their students around the world dancing together. I offered these videos in exchange for a single online dance class. But I didn’t stop there, I kept grinding and hustling as hard as I possibly could and with the help of word of mouth and an incredible community, KAMerashoots is thriving. We now offer FaceTime quarantine shoots which are booking up faster than I ever could imagine and I’m still making these box videos from time to time.

I’m really proud of myself and still, truthfully, I’m shocked that I alone managed to go from rock bottom just being able to afford weekly groceries to now taking dance classes AS PART OF MY JOB and working everyday on something I’m passionate about. I guess this just goes to show when life gives you lemons you really can make some hella good lemonade!”

Kelly Ann

“This quarantine has been hard as a dancer. Motivation to take class comes and goes, along with the constant pressure that I should be doing more. I feel like I’m adapting to my small space (in a bad way) and am going to come out of this with a whole bunch of weird habits like not fully extending or not jumping off the ground.”

Kristen

“I’m a choreographer. I miss moving, I miss dancing - but most of all I miss creating with my people. In quarantine, you can’t help but realize what you miss the most. It’s an incredible mirror, and I’m spending time holding that same mirror up to the industry, to my company Thistle dance, to the way creations are born, to the way we treat our fellow artist. Change is afoot. The direction of that change at large is yet unclear - but for my work, inclusion, justice, empathy, and truth are more important now than ever. My mirror will reflect that.”

Lee

“There are so many things out of our control. Everyday I’ve been thinking how long the pandemic lasts, how other people behave, and what’s going to happen in our world. I felt drained, anxious, and overwhelmed. I miss dancing. I miss teaching. And I miss the old “normal” time. I know the world is changing right now, and it will change again. We will not be in this situation forever. So I stopped thinking and planning about/for the future. I focus on how to be present. One thing at a time. One day at a time. That makes me feel positive and productive during this pandemic. I’m also a mum of a 22 month old girl. She keeps me very busy so that I don’t have any extra time to overthink. Learning how to reduce stress with gratitude is my recent everyday goal. Last but not least, I want to thank you, Jordan, for creating this dancers of quarantine project. I believe together we’re going to all come out of this. One day.”

Maiza

“One of the things I feel most grateful for during this time is the fact that I have a connection to the theater community. Believe it or not, I’ve found myself more occupied with things that actually matter to me than before we were on lockdown. I see the outpouring of dancers and singers and artists of all kinds, giving themselves and their talent during this time and it reminds me of why I initially chose to go into this business. There is nothing quite like the feeling of community and I get to experience that feeling from artists everywhere now!  So yes I feel sad that I can’t see my family on the west coast, or hug my family on the East coast, or simply call a friend and say “Hey, let’s meet up for a drink and catch up!” But being able to open the computer and know that I can still access something that makes me feel alive gives me all the feels I precisely need during this difficult time! So I do just that, hop on Zoom or IG Live and take that fitness class or dance class or Creative Entrepreneur Class or Webinar and trying to use this time to my advantage and better myself. Trust me, I still have hard days, it’s only natural, but I feel really lucky with what I do have. A husband who keeps me sane, A family I can still talk to thanks to technology, a car to see some nature when the weather gets perfect, lots of banana bread, and my passion.”

Mallory

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that this whole experience is just another exercise in surrendering to the complete lack of control we have over our futures. As dancers, when have we ever been able to control the ultimate outcome? When we show up to Pearl Studios in the morning, we don’t necessarily know if casting is looking, if the track we’re right for is open, or if we’re going to get a callback. Hell, we could nail a callback and STILL not know if we’re actually going to book the job. I can’t think of the number of times during the holidays when my family has asked me, “What’s next?” And I genuinely say, “No idea!” So, how is this any different? Here we are, being told our industry has been shut down, that it will be among the last to return. Many have expressed doubts that live theater will return at all. But I just have to laugh. We all know what we signed up for. This is not the first time we’ve faced uncertainty in our futures. This is not the first time we’ve woken up in the morning and had no idea what the day would bring, what successes and failures we’d encounter, what rejection we’d have to swallow. So instead, just like every other day in our lives, I choose to focus on what I can control: the classes I can take, the books I can read, the friends I can call, the ways I can strengthen the other aspects of my craft that often get overlooked, and the ways I can be the most well-rounded human I can be. We will all be fine. Dancers are the most resilient humans I know. We’ve been training our whole lives for this. And we’ll face this adversity the way we do every other day. We’ll keep showing up.”

Marissa

Maya

“The most interesting part of this whole pandemic is how it is affecting people in vastly different ways. Not only in issues of racial and economic disparity but on a personal level as well. I think the most important thing we can do is to exercise empathy and compassion with one another. I cannot wait for the day when we can all come back together in the studio bare-faced and with a new open heart.”

Megan

“Once COVID hit I found myself out of work and out of an income (much like the rest of us). I’d noticed a lot of my fellow fitness coworkers starting to offer their once (very expensive) services/classes for free online, and something about that seemed off to me. I fully supported their willingness to give their knowledge/keep classes going, but generally, their clientele still had jobs AND was fully able to pay them for their services via an online platform. I decided to test this theory of mine, that people would indeed still pay for online services/classes and a few days later, my virtual business was born.

I am the founder of Dance From Home LLC (@dancefromhome_)! I launched my business at the beginning of COVID and have very fortunately seen great success. It's shocking that I am making more money now than I was working 4/5 jobs pre-COVID. If anything, I’ve learned that I’m worth A LOT more than what prior employers were giving me. I’ve always lived by the motto of "turning lemons into lemonade" and that’s truly what I feel I’ve done during this time! It has had its major ups and downs, but during this quarantine, I’ve been able to explore this entrepreneurial side of me that hadn’t been discovered yet. I personally have not been inspired to take professional classes online yet, but I’m so happy I’m able to pour my creative energies into this business.

The world is at a very uncertain time right now. COVID has taught me to adapt. I’m excited to grow as a business owner and performer. Who says you can't do it all?”

Michelle

“There are so many things that I could be upset with during Covid-19. My tour ended 6 weeks early, broadway is shut down, people and friends are sick, I can’t go to the bowling alley. But honestly I’ve found so much positive in giving the earth a break. I’ve been able to appreciate so much more of the world around me. I’ve taken up new hobbies that I wouldn’t have found the time to do. I’ve connected with more people than I’ve ever had online. I’m thankful, that even in stillness, I have my health, I’m able to dance and enjoy the little things in life.”

PJ

“I’m feeling very apathetic lately. The fuel of tomorrow’s audition or next month’s show is usually what motivates me to keep going, but with everything shutting down it’s impossible to chase my dream. I see my friends teaching/taking zoom dance classes, but somehow I can’t bring myself to jump on that bandwagon. It makes me feel like my passion as a dancer isn’t strong enough, but I know deep down it is. That’s what’s really hard- reminding myself that I love being a performer when I’m not performing. God, I’m a dancer. A dancer dances.”

Quinton

“I did well when this all started. I woke up, ate three meals a day-I pretended I was on vacation. As the months progressed, I realized the career I’ve chosen is far from coming back, and as we know now, REALLY far. I know many have gone through the feeling of being lost during COVID-19 or just in life, it seems to be a constant theme. I personally have had the feeling of being lost as an artist, too many times to count. Being an artist has ups and downs, highs and lows, tears and laughter (give me happy ever after) but something about being able to go to STEPS, have an amazing audition or venting at the local chipotle changed my attitude every single time. I live alone currently, which is nice. What’s funny is there have been days where I realize I haven’t spoken a word out loud to anyone, or I’ve gone days without even leaving my apartment. My life’s in a constant state of being, just getting through the day. Luckily, tap dancing has helped-ALOT. I laugh because not a day goes by where I don't say “Damn, I love tap dancing" and all my friends say "We KNOW” but it’s true, I really really do. The feeling of making my own music is something I’ll never be able to explain. So, I took this time to create. First, I made my mom record a video of a dance I made called “BOOTYY"-you can just imagine how that was. Then, I re-taught myself all of 42nd Street. Now I just try to take a class a week. Dance does so much for me mentally. It allows me to live in a different world for a second, but it truly allows me to cope with what’s happening in the world. Do I create everyday? For sure not! Do I create every week? I try, but don’t always succeed. Who knows the next time I’ll be on stage, or in a crowded Randy Skinner's class. All I know is, I have to do what I have to do to survive. To me, that’s finding love in things other than performing. From books, to watching all of Drag Race to so many Zoom happy hours it’s not even funny. All I know is, I am going to survive this, we are going to survive this, and I truly cannot wait to see everyone’s face at Ripley Grier laughing about being typed out of a perfect show for us.I love NYC, I love you and we will dance together again."

Rachel

“I've taken this time to settle into a gratitude practice. It's officially the longest I've been without seeing my mom since I moved back to NYC. I know it's cliche, but she is my best friend, and I would be lying if I said that her increased hours working at the hospital haven't left me a bit afraid. In an effort to distract myself...I'm choosing to express gratitude even when I'm frustrated and can't handle what's going on around me. It's so easy to get upset that things haven't gone our way, but this time should show everyone that a bit of effort towards compassion can go a long way.”

Shauna

“I am a choreographer/dance teacher from Woodside, Queens. I have a small dance company Shauna Sorensen and Dancers and we perform locally in the Queens community. I also teach at several schools in the Forest Hills, Queens area. Right now some of my work has been moved to online platforms and some has been cancelled completely. Each day is different when dealing with dancing and teaching online. Sometimes I feel inspired and am strong enough to keep up the positivity for myself and my students and there are days when I just feel sad. I miss sweaty dance studios and gyms. I miss seeing my students in person and hearing their stories. I miss seeing my friends and family. I miss going to rehearsal and creating with fellow company members. There have been a few big life milestones that I missed out on during this pandemic. My sister and I were supposed to work together to move my dad out of our childhood home. Instead of traveling back to Chicago to help out, my sister had to do the move out process on her own and I missed out on saying goodbye to the house I grew up in and moving my dad into his new apartment. Missing this was devastating and I still have anxiety over not being there. The dance team I help direct was supposed to have our first competition of the season when the stay at home order was enacted. It was heart breaking to know that all the hard work the kids put in over the summer and fall was going to have to be put on hold indefinitely. The studio is in the process of figuring out an outdoor/social distanced recital but it’s not going to be the same and who knows if it will even happen. At the start I was very excited about all the online classes being offered but now its hard to get motivated to take class. In all honestly I just don’t want to spend more time staring at a computer in order to take class. I miss being around dancers, being in the dance room, and having space to dance. This whole thing makes me realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by dance all day.  I will never take for granted my dance life when everything returns to “normal”.

Sophie

“Quarantine has exemplified for me how bittersweet life is and how that's not a negative. Every gift, every show, every love; all the sweetness life has to offer comes with it's bitter moments. But, it's once you recognize that this tinge of bitterness does not diminish the sweetness that you can release it and let it slide off your back. The bitterness moves in the wind, but it no longer encompasses you. Bitter and Sweet; Joy and Sadness; they live together and inform one another. Acceptance of this balance breeds freedom and joy.”

Tyler

“I live with my fiancée of a few years now. The first two years of being together were spent with me being at the Richard Rodgers 8 times a week and then on the road with Ham [Hamilton] up until this past August. It is wild to think that this is the quality time we always wanted. We now work from home - Dallin is the Director of Operations at The Broadway Collective and I am teaching/coaching online through my new studio Tyler McKenzie Creative Studio. We’re learning a lot about each other during this time as partners, professionals, artists, friends... We know gratitude can sometimes be such an overused/throwaway word, but damnit do we really feel it during these times. Now we understand the difference between being grateful and living in gratitude.”