Moving through a pandemic – Cascadia Weekly

On StageDance OnMoving through a pandemic

By Amy Kepferle

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Supposedly, Billy Idols 1981 hit song, Dancing with Myself, was inspired when the singer and his bassist happened upon a gathering of youth in a Tokyo discotheque who, instead of dancing with each other, were watching their own reflections in walled mirrors.

While its unclear how that incident translated into the resulting MTV video that featured the charismatic performer fighting off a horde of post-apocalyptic zombies (while simultaneously showcasing some sweet moves), both scenarios act as apt metaphors for our present realitywhen many people are spending more time alone while waiting out a global pandemic, and current events often make it seem as if the end of the world is nigh.

In pre-COVID-19 days, I suspect many of us took the act of dancing for granted. We could head to the dark, strobe-lit floor at Rumors Cabaret to shrug off the stress of the workweek, shake our booties at live music events from Bellingham to Anacortes, take classes at any number of venues specializing in various types of movement, join folk and contra dancers for weekly gatherings, and schedule time on our calendars for performances by community movers and shakers.

Sadly, thats no longer the case, and some local dance-focused entities wont make it out on the other side of the coronavirus. Bellingham Dance Company recently announced they were closing their doors, citing the virus as one of the main reasons they would no longer be offering ballroom, swing and Latin dancing classes for all ages. They noted that many of their teachers will still be offering instruction in town once its deemed safe to do so, and encouraged people not to be too discouraged by the turn of events.

Similarly, on May 30, John Bishop of Northwest Ballet Theater and Academy announced via a short YouTube video that the longtime dance company was vacating its rehearsal and class space on Cornwall Avenue and, barring divine intervention, likely wouldnt be returning.

Weve been here for 15 years, and its really become our home, he said, pointing out that their location kitty-corner to the Mount Baker Theatre meant that during productions of performances such as the The Nutcracker, Dracula, and Alice in Wonderland, they loaded more than 400 productions in and out of the nearby theater.

Its kind of a sad day, Bishop added, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic we were unable to continue classes and, of course, canceled performances for the future. We had a good run, and there might be a chance of coming back after all of this. Were evaluating that now. Thank you, and good luck with everything.

Groups such as the Bellingham County Dance Society will have to wait to resume the public dances they typically host a couple of times a month at the Fairhaven Library, and caution those who hope to learn how to contra dance by watching videos or reading up on the topic to wait until they resume their regular events to master the mysteries of the partnered dance form.

Thats not the case at OPUS Performing Arts. The Holly Street hub is continuing to offer ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, adult classes and more online via Zoom, and in a recent update offered tips on how to improve the experience.

Many of their suggestions would translate well for anybody wondering how to have a successful experience taking an online dance class. Among them are keeping your devices fully charged, rearranging furniture so you have space to move around, and finding substitutes for barresincluding kitchen counters, chairs, dining-room tables, bookshelves, window sills and door frames.

If watching other people dance is what inspires you, youre also in luck. Choreographer and dancer Pamela Kuntz of Kuntz and Company is creating weekly performances shared on WWU Dances Facebook page and beyond, and theyre not only lovely to behold, but theyre also timely. For example, a recent performance, Dinner for One, was layered with more than a dozen dancerssome current and past WWU dance majorsexploring the solitary act of dining alone. They eat cereal and french fries, drink wine and beer, slither artfully on floors and tables and chairs, and bring humor and levity to the concept of sheltering (and eating) in place.

The newly formed Whatcom Arts Project has also been getting in on the action, hosting a series of Wild Wednesday events with WWU Dance. A May 20 posting featured a video of choreographer Shen Weis Connect Transfer piece, in which dancers painted the floor with their bodies as they moved in circular swoops and swirls. A related art activity urged people to gather colored pencils or painting supplies and let their pencil or paintbrush dance to the music they heard, or to let their bodies follow the music and see what patterns or shapes they created as they did so.

This last suggestion makes one think that dancing by yourself in the kitchen while listening to music and making dinner might be more therapeutic than previously thought. While it wont replace the connections made when people come together to fling their bodies around until late into the night or sit in a darkened theater watching magic being made, it just might help us move through the pandemic.

UPCOMING EVENTS

[Sun., June 14]

VIRTUAL VAUDEVILLE: The New Old time Chautauqua (NOTC) will host its first Virtual Virtuoso Vaudeville Extravaganza at 6pm on Zoom. We intend to celebrate our connections with each other, despite our isolation, and to share our joy and laughter with a live audience, organizers of the fundraiser say. Each artist will be featured from their own home and broadcast into the homes of all who wish to join in. Suggested donation is $20 per screen. All donations go to keeping the NOTC alive during this uncertain time and continuing its mission of engendering community through education, entertainment and laughter. For more info: http://www.chautauqua.org

[Mon., June 15]

VAUDE-VIDEO-HAM: The members of the Bellingham Circus Guild may not be able to share their talents in person this month at their spacious 6th Street Cirque Lab, but the monthly uncensored open-stage fundraiser will nevertheless continue starting at 7pm via a Vaude-VIDEO-ham watch party featuring a montage of everything from aerial performances to dance, comedy, magic, juggling, burlesque and more. Although entry to the virtual gathering is free, the ongoing event is designed as a fundraiser with a $5-$10 suggested donation. If you feel inspired to support the Bellingham Circus Guild while we all weather this storm there is a donation button on the bottom of the front page of our website, organizers say. For more info: http://www.bellinghamcircusguild.com

Despite the fact that the youth of America have been thrown the biggest curveball of their generation, Ian Bivins believes they will have a significant part to play in the post-pandemic world.

As the executive director of the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY), hes gotten an

A few weeks ago I was weeding my vegetable garden, unaware that on the nearby porch our houseguest was playing a game of Spin the Bottle with Hulk Hogan.

This is probably the time to mention Hulk was actually a six-inch facsimile of the world-famous wrestler, and that our houseguest is DK

What a difference a day makes.

When Cascadia Weekly prepared to go to press on Tues., March 10 it was business as (almost) usual. An array of entertainment options had been collected, catalogued and set in print, and although concerns about COVID-19 had caused a few events to be canceled,

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Moving through a pandemic - Cascadia Weekly

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero