The second weekend of May is the time for the dancers of Brooklyn Park Dance to show off their skills during the annual dance recital.
With multiple jam-packed shows, the dancers perform ballet, jazz, tap, and pointe pieces for a full house during a normal recital year. But of course, this year has been anything but normal, so when COVID-19 forced classes to shut down in March 2020, it also took away recital weekend.
This is the time for all the dancers to showcase their talents, but in particular, it is a time for the graduating senior dancers to shine and enjoy their last dance on the stage. Having to cancel the show in 2020 was a tough decision and especially heartbreaking for the seniors, but it was one that needed to be made. The teachers were bound and determined to make something happen for 2021 and were inspired by the theme The Show Must Go On.
Given some of the looser COVID restrictions this spring, they felt it was safe to have recorded recitals. Dancers were excited about this too. “It feels great to be back, although it’s not the full experience, it is still fun to be able to share this time with my daughter,” said Dave Asinger who participated in the Daddy/Daughter class with his daughter Ava Williamson.
Some of the biggest challenges of this season were navigating the evolving MDH and CDC guidelines and setting up virtual lessons while struggling to learn technology and formats. Although the last year had its challenges, some great things came from it too, including offering Zoom classes to those who were uncomfortable in person, in quarantine or even away at college. “One dancer who was away at college and was able to ‘Zoom’ into class every week – and then just joined us in-person the last month – an experience that wouldn’t have been possible in our ‘regular way’, said Dance Instructor, Carson Gasner.
“This year reminded us about the resiliency of the Brooklyn Park Dance family,” said Dance Instructor Jessica Martin. “While we did make changes unique to our COVID season – a fall and spring session, mask wearing, adjusted schedules, students zooming in from home – our families were fantastic. We had very few complaints – and students were happy to follow the safety recommendations. Brooklyn Park Dance families are awesome and we love them!”
The recorded recitals will be available throughout the summer on CCX. Be sure to follow Brooklyn Park Recreation Dance on Facebook for updates when the shows will air and for more details on when fall registration begins.