How to Stay Sane in Isolation

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We’ve seen the funny videos of couples on the couch, excited to have a reason to dodge all social outings. The internet is overloaded with our brilliant, human sense of humour right now, making the most of a pretty dreadful situation.

The memes are a great insight into how we can take something scary and turn it on its head. But when you sit with the facts, the long journey ahead can start to get a bit real. We may be in this for a while. SO, let’s bite the bullet and talk about how we are going to keep our wits through the marathon of isolation ahead of us.

I may be a little biased, and often see dancing as a cure-all for any ailments. But in this case I really believe that learning to dance is one of the best ways to stay positive, happy and healthy through the next few months. Let me back that up for any non-believers out there…

Why will dancing help me stay sane in isolation?

Dancing is about connection. When we take a lesson, go to a group class or share two minutes of our time with a stranger, dancing to the same song - we can’t help but feel we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. Yes physical contact is a part of that and we’ll get back to that when we can. But there is SO much more to dancing than the physical. Our community is full of every kind of person, and what they share is that they looked for a way to engage with others, and to express themselves.

Our students often go outside their comfort zones in pursuit of change and growth - we are a bold bunch, us dancers. Now more than ever, we need to help each other keep up that positive mindset, to keep growing and finding that feeling of connection we all need.

How can I keep dancing when I can’t even leave my house?

We know you’ll miss the studio as much as we do, and when we get back there, we’re going to appreciate it all the more. But what makes a studio special is not the walls, but the people.

When you make the leap to embracing a virtual kind of studio, you’ll find all those people you care about are still there. We know there’s a learning curve involved - using new technology is not fun for any of us the first time, but it gets easier and we’re here to help you in any way we can while you’re figuring it out.

Once you have groups on Facebook, virtual parties (which is usually more wine and chatting than dancing, but who’s complaining) and one-on-one video lessons to help you keep your dancing and development on track - you might find that excited feeling of going to the studio for your lesson is still there. Only now you can do it in bare feet.

If you are brand new and find yourself looking for a way to stay active, find some friends and have some fun, dancing really is your best bet. And if you have been with us for a while, then you already know how much dancing can embolden your life. We hope that over the next six months or so, you’ll keep that spark fed and come back 10 times stronger when this is all over and we are back to our beloved dance floors.

Let’s get social… from a distance.

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A Dancer’s Quarantine Reading List