Self-isolating? 5 ways dancers can maintain mental health and social connectivity

It's impossible to ignore – there are no industries or communities untouched or unaffected by the COVID-19 virus ravaging through the world right now. Although we are only at the beginning of this tumultuous situation, the financial and social impact are already hitting close to home. However, the impact on emotional and mental health are yet to be seen. As dancers, how can we maintain our energy, spirit and social connectivity during this time of self-isolation?

Daily, news readers are warned that the number of infected are doubling and the number of deaths steadily rising. Counties, cities and countries are announcing lockdowns, and governments are calling for the ban of large gatherings in the hopes of delaying the spread of this novel coronavirus. The stock markets are in worse shape than the 2008 financial crash, and hospitals are under incredible pressure to keep up with the number of ailing. Conferences, sports and entertainment events are being postponed, and tourist attractions and businesses are forced to shut down.

During normal times of stress, people turn to their loved ones for solace, and seek the company of their networks and communities to maintain their faith and spirit. However, in this scenario, people are being urged to self-isolate.

For dancers (as this is a dance blog), missing out on group dance sessions and regular classes means, that in addition to their heightened stress and fear, we are losing a major source of stress relief - community, companionship and commisery.

"I lead a fairly stressful life. Corporate job, high pressure, lots of bills and mortgages to cover - and that's without worrying about health, husband and family. I dance because it is one of the few times a week where I can feel good and stay focused and release all that negativity," says one dancer.

"My husband never ceases to be amazed what a difference dance makes in my life," says another dancer. "I literally fall apart physically and mentally when I stop dancing for long periods of time. My energy lowers, my body aches, and my frustration at everything ends up bottling up and raising my blood pressure. It's kind of comical, but also reminds me I should always keep dancing."

The current global emergency will also strain mental health and add to feelings of isolations – and they should be taken into consideration, alongside the other health advice we are getting from officials. Perhaps it could be, "Wash your hands for 30-seconds, don't touch your fac, [...] and FaceTime someone else who is in self-isolation so that you both have company."

Charlotte Desorgher, the powerhouse behind the Undeniables Bellydance Community and Programme, set out a new challenge for us this week by asking, "How can we best use our online communities during this tricky time [of self-isolation and avoiding large gatherings]?"

Here were five ideas I thought could help answer the question, but also address mental and social connectivity at the same time.

1. Maintain regularity and routine.

If you always have dance class at 7:00PM on a Monday, stick to it. Arrange a virtual dance session with an accountability partner, schedule yourself to join a "live" online class, or follow a pre-recorded dance class either through your regular teacher or online.

This helps maintain a sense of normalcy and accountability, whilst everything else might have changed.

2. Keep up the face-to-face connections. Isolation is - well - isolating! So staying in touch with fellow dancers is one the first things to take care of.

Zoom is an amazing tool - and the gallery view can make it seem like your looking at a whole bunch of dancers in the mirror. One tip is to hook your computer up to your large TV / plasma to make the group experience more “real”.

Start the session sharing how you’re each doing – this maintains your conversational skills, one of the first things to go when you're working remotely! – and break the ice with an interactive games, like follow the leader / tag dancing.

Tag dancing is when one dancer kicks off a session as "leader" - with everyone following their moves – they then call out the next leader to take over, and so forth and so forth.

3. Appreciate the solitude as creativity time.

Sometimes, it's a mental shift that we need. Instead of seeing self-isolation as a time of being alone, think of it as a time to feel liberated and to allow your creative synapses to start sparking. One tip is to turn off all social media and start with pure silence, moving deliberately with or without a mirror, just appreciating each move your body makes. Then, play your favorite playlist and move / dance along to it.

Once you’re in the groove, video a few snippets and share it with your dance group (if you’d like!)

4. Throw a Zoom dance / watch / drill party.

Facebook has “Watch Parties”, during which you can group together with a few people online and watch live videos together, so why not have a "Dance Party" on Zoom?

Here's how it could work:

• Whoever is hosting will be the DJ – so send them your requested songs

• Switch it to gallery view, so it's not just one person you're watching

• Turn the mood lighting on and dress to impress – remember the fake lashes, lipstick and hair – this incites the same feeling of excitement you have before you perform or go for a night out

• Try to host 30- to 40-minute sessions – assume that people will drop in and out throughout the duration

• If you’re hosting a drill party, be sure to prepare a set of drills that everyone can jump in on regardless of when they pop in.

5. Dance outside, even if it’s alone.

I don’t want anyone to catch anything, of course, but if you have an empty or quiet street or a backyard, set yourself a few challenges and dance outside. This will force you to remain in touch with nature, ensure you're going through the motions of getting dressed, putting shoes one, etc.

Then, video yourself having fun - and tag your fellow dancers to share their own outdoor videos, as a way of solidarity.

Please note:

These are just suggestions for dancers in particular, as this is a dance blog. I am not a doctor, or a licensed psychologist or therapist. I'm just a person, with some experience in a few different things, who has overcome a few difficult situations including some mental / physical challenges, who wanted to suggest a few ideas that I thought would help me, too. True to the point of these blogs, I write only about things I wish I had seen when I was starting to dance.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed this article and use a few of the ideas to help you through this tough situation! Please do send me your videos at cleverbellydance@gmail.com - would love to see them x