They say dance like nobody's watching, but in this case, it's the opposite.
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Dancing is traditionally a personal endeavour, especially when for teachers with a group of students teaching proper form, technique and rhythm.
The Mudgee region has of course had to adapt to a new way of living for now, working and teaching remotely and getting comfortable with less human interaction. But how do you successfully transition a career in teaching dance to a world with less interaction?
Local dance studio Dance Unlimited (DU) has had to solve this exact issue. Closing their doors in late March, students, parents and teachers were abruptly cut off from their regular routine.
"All within a weekend, our students, families and staff had gone from seeing each other weekly. And in a lot of cases, hours each week, to not being able to see each other at all. And from training anywhere between one and 14 hours a week to nothing at all," Haley Priest from Dance Unlimited told the Mudgee Guardian.
The decision was quickly made, like a lot of formerly close businesses, to move to a video conference-based way of working. One week after the initial shutdown, Dance Unlimited was back up and running via the popular video conferencing software, Zoom.
"My 'kids' were back together, and my dance family was once again and were just so excited to see each other. The response from our DU families is that our stars just can't wait for their weekly Zoom class catch ups and my team and staff continue to find their classes a highlight of our weeks," Ms Priest said.
Zoom has offered students the chance to learn with international instructors not usually available to teach in person.
"Our performance students have access to over 150 international choreographers and teachers, including hundreds of recorded classes and over 15 live classes per week to join in on streamed direct from the US," Haley said.
Haley said she hopes she can inspire others to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world.
"I hope this story helps to inspire even just one person to continue to think outside the box, to push when you think you have no other option and to make things happen when you feel there is nothing left to make it with," she said.
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