Yes, pliés

GONZALO GARCIA

New York City Ballet principal

Quarantine diaries, dancer edition: “At the start of the pandemic, I began dancing in my living room — and then bedroom, when I realized I’d have more floor space by moving my bed,” says Garcia, 40. “As the weather got nicer, I took my makeshift dance floor to the deck of my outdoor garden, behind my brownstone. While I eventually purchased a ballet barre, initially I was holding onto the wood paneling of my apartment for support.”

Until NYC Ballet provided Marley flooring for dancers to use at home, Garcia covered the wood floors of the Upper West Side twobedroom he shares with his husband with a shower curtain liner. He’s also been using an Ikea mirror and portable heater outside to complete the al fresco studio experience. Still, it comes up short.

“There’s nothing like being in a real ballet studio or theater. That said, I’ve enjoyed creatively problem solving, and being able to teach and take class remotely has allowed me to stay connected to my colleagues and students, and to the dance world in general,” he says. “In truth, it’s been a frustrating process ... dancing at home with limited space and without sprung floors. Dancers have to be extremely aware of their physical health, and work wisely to avoid injury.”

These days, Garcia typically takes one and teaches between one and three Zoom classes daily, as well as cross-training sessions in Pilates and a similar workout called Gyrotonics several times a week.

“I’ve always known that dancers are resilient and passionate people,” he says, “but I’ve really come to appreciate my own determination, and creativity, and continue to be inspired by the perseverance of my colleagues.”

BRETON TYNER-BRYAN Choreographer & performer

Tyner-Bryan calls the dance-from-home slog “sweaty, comforting and grounding.” But she prances around barefoot or in Laduca heels in her one-bedroom apartment beside framed images of Lucille Ball, Mae West, Josephine Baker and Agnes DeMille, citrine crystals, vintage costumes and 10 bamboo plants for good luck.

“I’m really alone with my breath, thoughts, sensations and physicality,” she says of dancing in her Washington Heights home. “For better or worse there’s no distractions like being in a ballet class with other people, socializing or enjoying the live music. Teaching on Zoom has brought some sense of community, and it’s been nice to connect with dancers and schools around the world,” adds Tyner-Bryan, 38.

The centerpiece of her bedroom studio, meanwhile, are “inspirational bay windows” that provide plenty of light and a backdrop that makes her feel like she’s doing theater in the round. She can quickly and effortlessly move carpet for teaching gigs, lectures or auditions. The back of a chair serves as her barre. And sometimes, for variety, she even stages photo shoots in the laundry room.

“I’ve learned that I’ll always be dancing whether anyone is watching or not, and nothing satisfies like starting my day with a ballet class,” Tyner-Bryan says. “Whenever I’ve felt lost in my life, the answer has always been to dance, to move in new directions. It’s a simple answer, but I’m amazed at how many times it is what I need to hear.”

GABE STONE SHAYER ABT dancer

Innovation has been the name of the game for Shayer who has lived in a unit on the Upper West Side for almost nine years that he deems “a shoebox.”

“There are so many ways to use what you have in your apartment to your advantage. All of [a] sudden your shoe rack becomes a calf stretcher, your door frame is a balance tester, and your kitchen floor becomes your stage,” says Shayer, 26.

“Mid-pandemic, I would use the ladder to my built-in loft bed to stretch and do ballet barre,” he notes. Traveling in center — ballet-speak for dancing from side-to-side in a large space — sans square footage is more challenging.

As the coronavirus restrictions wear on, Shayer sees a few upsides to the ballet-from-home status quo. “I’ve definitely learned the importance of rest and separation from the machine of my company [and to] be reacquainted with the artist within me who has felt stifled by timing and circumstance for so long,” he says. “This time has given me a very healthy dose of perspective.”