COVID-19 has forced dancers to find ways to move at home. Reporter Lilian Gonzalez sat down with Reich via Zoom to discuss how she is navigating life as a tap dancer in the time of COVID-19.
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Professional performer Sarah Reich is tap dancing her way through COVID-19. Before the pandemic, Reich performed in notable venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Sydney Opera House and many more. With her sharp footwork and relaxed upper body, Reich utilizes tap dance as a medium of expression.
“Before COVID-19 hit, I was traveling a lot. I was teaching at a dance convention almost every weekend. And then I was also hosting my own intensives, the tap music project Intensive which is an event that I produced for myself and I had plans to do it in a different city every month, even take it internationally this year.”
Tap dancing in a group setting sounds different from tap dancing alone. The sound and the rhythm of the tap dance continues with or without a global pandemic.
Imagine, after years of tap dancing at your favorite jazz club, you receive the news that it will be closing down.
“All my favorite jazz clubs closed. They closed. You know, that’s really sad, not just for my wanting, but also for the jazz community and the options for us to be able to do what we love to do. As far as dance and live theater and live shows and clubs like that was a big way that we would make our money and showcase our art. And so I am a little worried about how I can do that again.”
USC Kaufman Lecturer Shannon Grayson says COVID-19 was like an injury in the dance community.
“I feel that, as a dancer myself, it helped us develop a new muscle of resilience and pushing through, but at the same time it’s a huge injury just compared to Broadway, theatres being shut down now.”
Dancers and performers all over the world continue discovering a new flow of life. But why does this matter?
“If it’s a part of your life, you know what I mean, it’s also like how do you survive? That’s kind of like asking how do you not eat or how do you mentally function during this pandemic to survive.”
Like many dancers, Reich continues to cultivate her craft at home.
“I had to make sure I felt good in my home space, whereas before I was traveling so much that I would come home and it just kind of a mess. It wouldn’t feel right. So who cares if this is out of place or whatever. So I’m like, OK, well, now that I’m home, what can I do that I have been wanting to do to better myself in this way? Because now I have the time. So I got this keyboard out of my closet and I set it up. I’m like, OK, now. I started taking piano lessons.”
Besides piano, Reich picked up other new hobbies to entertain herself while staying at home.
“My drum teacher, I went to his house. I picked up a drum set because it’s for his students, but he’s no longer bringing students to his house. It’s like, hey, do you want to take this drum set to practice? And like, yeah, I set up my drum set in my little garage. So I’m practicing drums now.”
Zoom continues to be the central medium of communication for many artists.
“And then I started teaching on Zoom. And that’s been amazing too, because like that’s a great way that I was able to survive during this time was like, OK, well let me try a zoom class. And I had so many people in my class.”
Teaching any kind of dance over zoom is complicated. Imagine a virtual tap dance class. How does that work?
“Well, first you have to figure out the settings. If you don’t have the setting right, it hears tap as background noise.”
Zoom might have downsides, but it also has its own perks.
“I mean, like, I don’t have to tell them, be quiet, just mute all (laughs) and so that’s why I say y’all mute yourselves and follow along with me. I love it and then you can share a screen so I can show footage at the end of class, I’m like, OK, we talked about Jimmy Slide today. Let’s watch a clip of Jimmy Slide.”
COVID-19 might have isolated individuals, but it has not stopped dancers from safely tap dancing together.
“I have been able to tap dance with others. Everyone wore masks. It was fine. I do miss going salsa dancing and swing dancing like contact dancing where you have to hold your partner like that’s what I miss.”
With a hopeful future, dancers all over the world continue to find ways to connect with others. For now, artists are tapping into different rhythms of living while cultivating their craft at home.