MOTIVATION to Dance During Pandemic Times
By Nizana Photos provided by Nizana
Many dancers have struggled with staying motivated to dance this last year or so , and several have given it up altogether . It ’ s totally understandable . Not having a real live audience to interact and connect with alone is a big deterrent just by itself . Then there ’ s learning different technological practices , with platform hosts presenting different ways of doing things . Finding a decent dance space to present to others and have enough room to dance in . Technical issues like lag . And oh ! Lighting , what to wear , and what to dance to that doesn ’ t have copyright issues ?
It ’ s a lot for sure . It can be overwhelming . It can also be an opportunity to learn new skills , adapt and grow with the times and spend time with other dancers from around the world ! As many of you may know , I organized 27 online haflas through Night in the Global Village in 2020 and we are going strong in 2021 . As every lineup had a long list of dancers , it was and is still clear a lot of dancers are choosing to stay connected to dance however they can . Many of us have found that while it is certainly not the same , it is well worth the time .
I will admit , while I ’ ve tried to change up dance styles , costumes and music for each of my hafla performances as
40 The Belly Dance Chronicles � May 2021