Performer in Lockdown

No one could have ever predicted the Coronovirus outbreak and how much impact it would have on everyone's life. I remember in January being in rehearsals and my dance partner always watching the news and talking about coronovirus being in China and how it could affect us all. I was in denial and we carried on rehearsing for another 3 months right up to our fly date! We were due to fly out to Tui Sensatori Rhodes on Wednesday 18th March. We finished rehearsals on the Friday before and I came home and started packing. It felt surreal because by this point Covid-19 was everywhere you looked, the news articles telling you how it is spreading. On Monday 16th we received confirmation that we wouldn't be flying to resort and that night on the news it was announced that all flights leaving the UK were cancelled.

To start with I was pretty chilled, having just finished 3 months of intensive rehearsals I was ready for a rest and figured we would fly out 1st April- giving us two weeks rest. It wasn't until the news started escalating, the virus started spreading and we entered lockdown on 23rd March that I realised that maybe the contract I had been rehearsing for might not even happen. I never thought the lockdown would last as long as it has. I followed the news and kept seeing the dates for the opening of the resort changing, but always believed it would eventually. The date changed from 1st April, to 30th April, then to 17th May, 22nd June, and finally where it is at at the moment 11th July. I am hoping that this happens and we are able to get out to resort, but I also want to be realistic and understand if this cannot be the case.

The thing which has been keeping me going is knowing everyone is in the same position. The response by the performing arts industry has been incredible and is a great credit to our line of work. Within the first week I watched all the musicals being streamed, I particularly remember the production of 'Showstopper! The improvised musical' going live on facebook as they had turned up at the theatre ready for a show, only to be told it couldn't go ahead. Performers started up classes, 'livestreamartsclasses' on instagram produced timetables of all classes, 'Magnetic Movement' began, an amazing instagram live class library of brilliant teachers to keep us all training. I quickly moved into my new routine which consisted of writing up a schedule for each day full of classes from pilates, to yoga, to handstands to jazz. Anything to fill up the time and keep me from missing performing. I really enjoyed the time to focus on technique again and surprisingly find my love for ballet once more. I wrote up goals I wanted to complete which included, learn poi, get my walkovers back, record some songs, update my CV/Showreel and start a website (this being my last one to tick off!). This time has been so valuable and has given me a deeper understanding of what I still want to achieve.

That being said I didn't realise how much not performing would affect me. I love being busy and can keep this up during lockdown, but there is only so much dancing to my mirror and video camera I can watch. The rush of being on stage and the comradery with your cast mates, that is the thing I miss the most. The bonds you make in casts during rehearsals are so strong and I miss my cast mates a lot. Right now there are some scary articles about theatres not opening again and shows like Phantom of the Opera closing until 2021. There has been no guidance on what will happen to shows/events and how we can keep up social distancing but continue performing. It is concerning, but seeing how my fellow performers are adapting and have kept going inspires me. Yoga has been my go to through-out this lockdown and I have found the strength, persistence and mindfulness good. I have practised almost every day and this has kept me training my muscles, but more importantly my mind. I still need to work on the breath, as I find as a dancer, you just want to push into the hardest poses and neglect the fundamentals to get there. I hope to master this by the time I am released from home.

I hope I will make it to Greece this year even if for a month so that I can entertain an audience again. I know it isn't just performers affected by Coronovirus and I send love to everyone having a hard time right now. We will get through it and we will come out stronger. Keep Going.