How COVID has spurred dancers to find a 'sense of togetherness that has never been present before'

Faced with ever-evolving restrictions, young performing artists in Alberta are being stretched in unusual ways as they strive to maintain their communities and a sense of normalcy in these uncertain times.

The pandemic pushes the boundaries of their flexibility as they navigate how to continue doing what they love without compromising their safety or the quality of their connection.

And this is where their resiliency shines through.

Many dance teachers have seized the opportunity to redevelop their teaching approach from the ground up.

This makes space not just for new choreography, but for students to come without pretense and be welcomed to a place where they can draw strength and rediscover joy within each other's company.

Calgary-based photographer Tim Nguyen produced this photo essay, which spotlights how dance instructor Emily Losier and her students have found creative ways to support one another, not just in dance, but through this unfamiliar season of life.

All photos and captions were produced by Tim Nguyen.

Emily Losier, 22, a recent graduate of the University of Calgary's School of Creative and Performing Arts dance program, teaches dance classes five days a week to students ranging in ages five to 17 at numerous studios in Calgary and Airdrie. She is working toward a career in movement therapy, which seeks to aid individuals in understanding their emotions through dance and physicality. 

"The job is familiar, but I'm different now," Losier admits. "With restrictions always changing, there hasn't been any ability to plan more than a few days out."

While creating lesson plans at home is not new, the added weight of having to adhere to ever-changing physical distancing guidelines while also keeping online students engaged has put tremendous onus on dance teachers to develop new approaches. Losier says she is taking this added responsibility as an opportunity to connect deeper with her classes. 

Memories of Losier's early dance career adorn her northwest Calgary family home. As an instructor, she is working to instill greater resiliency and self-reliance in her students, while keeping a compassionate and open air in her classrooms. "They're all dealing with their teenager lives on top of the pandemic and are still managing to keep themselves engaged. It's incredible."

"My mother gave me this ballerina when I first started dancing. I was three or four years old." Losier recalls her own time as a youth dancer and how easy it was to intertwine her personal identity with the dance community. The ballerina sits next to her laptop as she records, reviews and re-records her own movements. It's a long-standing reminder of how far her career has already taken her. 

During this planning session, Losier spends most of the time in deep contemplative silence, considering the degree of difficulty in her work and whether it will continue to keep her students engaged. "Moving online was less about dancing and more about building a new community. It has been a challenge to find dances that are both engaging and accessible with the given restrictions — and can also be practiced in students' homes."

Soul Connexion in northwest Calgary is where Losier spends much of her time teaching. While the studio has gone through major changes to adhere to reopening guidelines, it has also put on numerous free online non-dance classes to stay connected to the community; including baking classes, craft days, paint nights, vision boarding and self-development. Studio owner Cara Poppitt emphasizes "we are consciously focusing on the mental health of our students."

Under-capacity classes leave shoe racks largely unfilled at Soul Connexion, but ownership, teachers and students alike are undeterred. "Even with reduced enrollment, our teachers are teaching more than dance and are dedicated to inspiring growth, and the students have risen to the challenge. We are focusing on building their foundation and resiliency," says Poppitt. "And it's working."

The studio's measures to keep students safe include bins of freshly sanitized coat hangers for personal items, daily temperature checks, a closed lobby and staggered entry times. The studio feels that it is offering the safest possible in-person learning experience for its students. 

Shelves full of trophies adorn the lobby and halls at Soul Connexion. Due to the pandemic, there is a notable absence of hardware dated from 2020. "Through the unknown, we are celebrating the passion," says Poppitt, who has also seen a rise in added operational duties and cleaning responsibilities throughout the past year. Her studio is a member of international and provincial dance associations, which have led the dance industry during this challenging time by distributing updated information about re-openings, possible solutions, as well as fostered mental health conversations among the dance teachers.

In the 10 minutes between each class, Losier's cleaning regimen includes sanitizing ballet barres and mopping floors, in addition to her own physical and mental preparation for the next group of students. "The added responsibilities have opened [teachers'] eyes to how the studio operates as a whole and the pressure that the owners are under. Everyone is working harder to support our students."

"I want the dancers to come as they are," says Losier, referring to her before class check-ins with her students. She has them write anonymous notes which are dropped in a paper bag at the door. These notes have become foundational in the trust-building exercise that Losier has done with many of her classes. "We don't abandon the reality of our lives before coming here; we invite perseverance and resiliency. I am trying to empower dancers to find their own agency, building each other up through our vulnerability."

Losier and Poppitt chat with the online students at the start of their "hybrid class," which rotates students between in-person and online attendance from week to week. "Engagement levels online are far better than when this all started," says Losier. "The girls are more inclined to share their vulnerabilities now than they used to. The shift has been to a more connected sense of togetherness between our online and in-person students." She says knowing that their turn for in-person participation is coming up next week or the week after is also great motivation. 

Eight students fill a room designed for 20, as five more participate from home. The hybrid learning approach is preferred over online-only by students and will continue for the foreseeable future. Limiting each student to a three-metre space in the room has also forced Losier to focus on teaching dances that less involve dancers overlapping and interacting with one another. Through modifying the dances, students are learning to imply broader movement and transition from within their own squares, while not being able to move through the whole space.

Students have been quick to adapt to the new reality of dance lessons but have concerns of their own, which the school acknowledges and legitimizes. "By listening to the students, we are fostering a community of trust and togetherness through this difficult time." Losier emphasizes self-grace, compassion and personal responsibility of well-being in her lessons. 

"We've all had to take a big step back from the go, go, go," says dance student Saana S. "Miss Emily is part of making us who we are, and then that all got taken away for a time. It's quite different on Zoom. As a community, dance shapes our identity and will always be a part of us."

At the end of a long night of teaching, Losier reads all of the paper bag notes from the day's classes in her car. The notes are mostly personal thank you's for having continued to be a bedrock for her students. She credits this connection to her students as a large part of maintaining her own mental health. "The dance community has truly risen up together. There is a sense of togetherness that has never been present before. Through the guidelines and restrictions we've been facing, I feel as though we've never been closer to one another."