2021 Magazine

168 | Edition No. 24 | 2021 T hus far throughout the pandemic dance has had its fair share of challenges with con- stant disruptions and the uncertainty of what the future may hold. However, looking back over the past 18 - 24 months it has become evident more than ever before, just how important dance is to our learners. It has played a pivotal role in main- taining their mental and emotional well-being. Why is dance so unique? A recent study conducted by the University of Oxford showed that dancing alongside other dancers “lights up brain pathways”. As a re- sult of this, dancers experience a sense of unity and community. Due to the structured nature of dance classes, your attention and focus is drawn to what movements your body should be demonstrating as well as on the teacher and their instructions. The dancer is drawn away from daily concerns and giving yourself a time to focus on precision, lines, patterns and physical form. Numerous stud- ies show that participating in a dance class helps reduce stress and increases the levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin. Danc- ing helps develop new neural connections, long-term memory and spatial recognition. Danc- ing alongside other people breaks down invisible walls or barriers, as dance is a universal language that transcends different cultures. This unites, fos- ters and increases social bonds and friendships amongst dancers and creates a sense of overall wellbeing. Many of our normal events and activities have been adapted and changed to become Covid friendly. Our global dance communities came to- gether for the common good of preserving our art form. Google Meets and Zoom became the lifeline for dancers to still connect and participate whilst in lockdown or isolation. Online platforms were cre- ated for Eisteddfods and examinations, so that our dancers could still continue with activities that cre- ated a sense of normalcy. This also provided and allowed for a much needed creative outlet during a period that placed so many other forms of restric- tions on our young learners. The first quarter encapsulated many of our dancers slowly getting back into their technical classes and honing their skills for the Cape Town Eisteddfod solos, which were submitted online in the second quarter. International ISTD tap exams were com- pleted and submitted online to our examiner Ms Lorraine Blake in Canada. Grade 10 and 11 Dance Study learners created the most beautiful solo cho- reographies for their practical assessment tasks in the third quarter. Silver jazz examinations were also held online during September. The fourth quarter saw the completion of the RAD ballet awards and a few more online ISTD mod- ern examinations as well as the Medal Tests. Our budding ballerinas in the Pre-Primary participated online in the May Play and starred in the end-of- year concert. Congratulations to all of the dancers who perse- vered throughout the year and achieved outstand- ing results. Hard work, commitment and adapt- ability are essential life skills that our dancers are developing which will stand them in good stead for fu- We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams. - Albert Einstein