Dancing In My Abode: A Study on the Space Struggles of the Online Dancer

• Main Author: Ramos, Atasha Gabrielle D.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: online dance; COVID-19; space; Ballet; home; Arts and Humanities; Dance
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2022/arts_dnc/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1124&context=conf_shsrescon
• Institution: De La Salle University

As the COVID-19 pandemic deemed performing artists unable to rehearse and perform in studios and theaters, space has become a big struggle for dancers, especially for those who train in Ballet. This dance piece is an original ballet variation created for a small space that interprets the difficulties and experiences of online ballet dancers. The researcher interviewed a dance teacher and a dance student about their space struggles, adjustments made for online dance, and their experiences. The struggles of both dance students and dance teachers include; internet connection, lag, hanging videos, disconnection, screen time, camera angles, attention span, lack of focus, academic workload, equipment, and space. Meanwhile, the adjustments both dance student and dance teacher made were to procure better devices and equipment, as well as to modify the class structure for dancers in small spaces. The former recommended that dance schools be more careful in teaching dance online to beginners. Meanwhile, the latter tried to find new ways to be able to engage her younger students in class. This dance piece aims to show what dancers have to adjust in order to perform in a small space. Moreover, the researcher aims to use the data collected in this study to aid in developing the online dance set-up.