Dance Connection features a dedicated staff, determined to make the 2020 season the best it can be for their nearly 200 students. (submitted photo/Daylan Sabin)

By Martin Martinson

Connecting through Dance

Dance Connection provides important outlet for youth

Dec 2, 2020 | 2:42 PM

The ongoing pandemic has halted a vast majority of activities for youth in the Battlefords community, but it hasn’t stopped the music for Dance Connection.

The local school of dance has been going strong despite adversity, since first opening its season in September, nearly three months ago.

Owner Daylan Sabin, said this year has featured a number of new obstacles the club had to overcome to ensure they can keep their doors open and continue to provide a physical and social outlet for youth in the community.

“It’s definitely been a big adjustment,” Sabin said. “Parents are no longer allowed in the studio, except for with our younger ones, and we’ve had to step up protocols when it comes to cleaning. [There is also] mandatory masks, kids have had to sanitize, and just limiting the number of bodies allowed in studio.”

The continuous updating of restrictions has seemingly been a constant adjustment for the studio, as it has for any other local business around town. As of the most recent announcement from the province, the studio space is now limited to just eight students at one time.

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Sabin said the latest round of restrictions has caused them to get creative in how they offer their classes.

All classes exceeding eight students have been split into two groups, with half learning in-studio and half via Zoom on a per-week basis, before then alternating learning mediums the following week.

Sabin said one of the hardest things about the pandemic this year has been the inability to plan with confidence for what’s to come down the line. She said much uncertainty still surrounds the potential for competitions or other recital opportunities come the New Year.

“We still don’t know if we’ll be able to compete at all this year,” she said. “We don’t really know what to tell families about what it’s going to look like come the spring time for competitions or recitals, because [of the regular updates] as to what is allowed. We don’t really know what we’re prepping for, or how to plan for what’s ahead.”

Despite the uncertainty though, Sabin said the studio is just happy to be able to continue to provide a place for children and youth to get out of the house, get active, and live out their passion for dance.

“We’re still dancing, we’re still training, and we’re still having fun,” she said. “The kids are enjoying being able to see one another and socialize, and get out of the house, which is a big part of it. I find with these children just getting things continuously taken away from them, we’re lucky enough that we’re still able to have some form of dance.”

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1