During these times, it is important to stay busy and active in order to keep minds healthy. Dance studios and other activity providers are offering online classes so that their participants can continue learning the material and see their friends who they normally see.

“I think that online dance classes are a great way to stay active even at home. It has been nice getting to talk to my teachers and dance friends that I haven’t seen in a month,” junior, Jack Delaney, who dances at The Dance Academy of Cedar Rapids, said.

Dancers from studios such as The Dancer’s Edge and The Dance Academy of Cedar Rapids have been offering online classes through Zoom.

Xavier Dance Team and Xavier Cheerleading teams held and are holding virtual tryouts during the months of April and May. Cheerleading tryouts were held on April 22, 2020, by submitting videos of cheers to a Google Drive folder and Dance team tryouts will be held May 1, 2020 through the same process.

“It was definitely a good idea, because we could work at our own pace in learning the material for tryouts,” freshman cheerleader Alicia Mutasingwa said.

With tryouts being virtual, it gives students the opportunity to redo their videos if they make a mistake. The online classes create an opportunity for dancers to learn other dances.

“I have been able to learn combos and dances from my teachers and from dance professionals that they have posted online, which has been fun,” Delaney said.

The online classes and tryouts create a stress free environment for students to learn and have fun.

“I like that there is not any stress of seeing the judges during the tryouts,” Mutasingwa said. “Usually during tryouts, there are a few judges and our coach who watch us. It can be very stressful and you can easily mess up.”

Online classes and tryouts have created opportunities for students to be active and stay healthy during quarantine. By doing this, students have something to look forward to such as seeing their friends and being involved in next year’s activities.