Students of the Candice Nasha Clarke Academy of Dance (CCAD) never imagined that their dance instructor would ever be in their living rooms. They found themselves in awe as they participated in their first-ever virtual dance class on April 25 via the Zoom video conferencing platform.
Organised by artistic director and founder of the academy, Candice N Clarke, sessions were transmitted live from the Academy’s Edingburgh, Chaguanas studio to students throughout Trinidad and even in the United States.
Many of the students, who range in age from two to adulthood, were eager to share their stories of the innovative means of keeping their dance classes alive during this period of self-quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Precious Hospedales, a professional dancer and junior teacher, admitted that she was skeptical at first, but knew “Aunty Candice” could “pull it off.”
She revealed that despite a few “hiccups”, like finding the perfect camera placement from her computer to get good angles of themselves, re-arranging furniture to make room for dance positions and “getting family members in the background to cooperate and be quiet,” she enjoyed the experience.
“It was a great experience learning to cope and find a new normal in our current global situation. I’m very thankful for Aunty Candice and CCAD for allowing us to feel like our old selves and get through this tough time with a little laughter and enjoyment. I can’t wait for our next class!” she said.
Four-year-old Adianca Andrews said she had to use her imagination and pretend her friends were there, while Amelia Brooks, five, shared that she especially liked the stretches and room at home to move about.
“I find it was nice, all the stuff we did; the ballet…all the stretches were nice,” she said.
Samiya Mc Clean, ten, said they had to be creative for their tap dance class and use a piece of plywood for practice as suggested by their tap teacher, Chelsea, Clarke’s daughter who streamed her class from New York, where she is on scholarship at the New York Film Academy.
Samiya said she also learned more about the Zoom App like how to record her positions to examine later and that she enjoyed meeting new friends from Trinidad and abroad.
LaToya Lewis-Moxey who lives in the US and heard about the classes via a cousin who is a member of the academy, said her six-year-old daughter, Aliyah, was happy for the opportunity to begin ballet classes at home.
“It has been extremely difficult for children here in the US to adjust to the new normal that Covid-19 has created…My daughter remained engaged during the entire session, and we felt connected to her experience as we were able to watch her dance from the comfort of our home. Ms Candice was patient, kind, and professional,” the proud mother said.
Jaeda, Elyse, Mc Kenzie, Cindy and Josanne were some of the girls who could be seen on screen as they balanced one leg against chairs in their living rooms or other spaces in their homes as they followed their teacher’s instructions.
Noting that numerous activities had dwindled because of social-distancing and that people were turning to technology more and more to communicate, Clarke said she decided to try doing classes via the Internet.
She believes that activities like dance are instrumental in developing creativity, resourcefulness and friendships, providing an outlet for stress, especially in these times.
At the 22-year-old academy which promotes "dancing with a cause," students are exposed to genres like ballet, modern, jazz, tap, African (Sinte) and Indian (Kathak), along with Creola, an artistic folk dance which Clarke pioneered.
She offers scholarships to some who have financial difficulties and gives dance challenges where they win bonus classes.
Clarke, who has also pioneered wheelchair dancing locally and has even given performance classes to a man who is blind, said anyone can learn as long as they are willing.
She said that since she has discovered this new virtual platform, she wants to continue even after stay-at-home restrictions are lifted as she can reach people from anywhere in the world.
You can find the Candice Clarke Academy on Facebook.