SAVAPA Dance struts through distance learning
The Southwest Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts dance program has dancers practice on group video calls due to the COVID-19 restrictions and distance learning.
Jessica Brooks is the Southwest High School Dance physical education teacher and the instructor for SAVAPA’s dance program. She had years of dance experience before she became a dance teacher for the performing arts program, but she said this is the first time she has taught classes where each student is in their own home.
“I want the program to keep growing so I know this is totally different than our norm, but I don’t want it to be like a pause button,” Brooks said.
The program continues to have a regular weekly schedule filled with workouts and dances.
“We have been taking Mondays off just for information days, and then we always meet Tuesday through Thursday, and then Fridays sometimes we meet or sometimes we’ll do a relaxation day or sometimes we’ll just work,” Brooks said.
Brooks organizes when the team meets and makes sure the team is dancing every week. Dancers meet Monday through Friday at 2:30 pm on a Google Meet.
Getting used to distance learning has been difficult for SAVAPA dancers, but the team seems to manage through communication and has hope they will dance together again.
Seniors especially are mourning that their last year as a SAVAPA dancer is being done quite differently than they expected.
Alexa Guerrero, senior and SAVAPA Dance captain, is one of many students trying to stay positive and overcome the challenges of dancing through distance learning.
“I’m definitely upset and annoyed because it’s my senior year and I was really hoping to be able to do winter show and then my last spring show,” Guerrero said. “My biggest challenge is definitely just space and trying to figure out where I can set up to be able to do all the things Ms. Brooks tells us to do, like jumps in my little room so it’s kind of hard to do that.”
Students are learning to adapt to the changes they must face during quarantine. The dancers have hope that they will meet in the classroom once again.
The best the students can do is hope they will be able to perform again this year. Junior Daniela Rodriguez said she wishes to see the stage and her friends again.
“I hope that we will go back and we can go back to dancing in the studio and perform,” Rodriguez said. “I hope that we can go back to school and be a team again.”
While juniors and seniors reminisce on what they’re missing out on compared to the previous year in the SAVAPA program, new members such as sophomores have yet to experience an in-person dance class at the school.
“The best part of being in any dance program are the performances, but we’re going to miss out on that,” said sophomore Bryn Beers. “Being at home isn’t an excuse to relax, but to try harder to achieve what I would in a normal class setting.”