Back at The Studio -- Moving Forward!
After 3 months away from the studio, I was finally back. I love my small but mighty studio. We spent so much time and care making the space bright, comfy and inviting. It was very weird to be away from it but it was even weirder to be there without my students. I love what I do for so many reasons, but my favorite part about the Rose Academy is my students. I miss their laughter, their celebratory cheers, their hoots and hollers, and words of encouragement. The joy in our 400 square foot studio wasn’t in the pink curtains, burlesque library or Chippendale couch. It is in the magic my students hold.
Throughout the pandemic, it was heartbreaking to see businesses in the vibrant Lyn-Lake neighborhood close or remain dark. If I would have known my last mock duck taco from Muddy Waters was going to be my last, I would have savored it a little more. Every time I saw one of my neighbors move out, I saw the fragility in my small business. It really can go away in an instant.
I am grateful I had the time and security to grieve the losses of 2020, but it was now time to get to work. My space and my school had to quickly evolve to become a virtual studio. Getting the internet in our space was monumental, and fortunately the building was already set up for high-speed fiber internet. We figured out pretty quickly that holding virtual classes wasn’t as simple as setting up a camera and doing the same classes that we had always done, but I had no idea how much time, equipment, and work would actually go into it.
One of the first challenges that we had to tackle was sound quality. Since Zoom has the ability to stream audio, we assumed that you could just speak into a microphone over the music. However, it was really difficult to hear the instructor over the music and the quality was just awful. We purchased a Blue Snowball microphone and figured out how to combine both audio channels so I could talk and play music at the same time. We also had to figure out better lighting - the ambient light in the studio was great for in-person classes and selfies, but we needed to find something more directed. Like many content creators, I had purchased a ring light in the beginning of the pandemic, and we also set up two box lights. Suddenly our studio was full of equipment and technology, replacing our students and all life and joy they bring.
With all of our new equipment, we still had constant ups and downs - it seemed like every week we had to find a new cable, or some piece of software to tweak our setup. There were many moments where it seemed like we’d never be able to deliver virtual classes at the quality our students expected and deserved. Of course, I attended hours and hours of Youtube University learning from other dance and yoga instructors. This video from Dana Wilson changed my entire perspective on teaching virtually. Suddenly I was no longer trying to create a product that would just get me by until we could in person again, but I started thinking about virtual classes as full experience and its own entity.
I haven’t had the opportunity to learn a new skill like this in a long time. It was thrilling to continue finding new information and ways to problem solve. I never thought I would be capable of learning and managing all of this technology, much less being excited about it! Thankfully, I had a lot of help and support to figure it all out. As challenging as the technical end can be, it has been truly delightful to learn how to transfer my content to a virtual format.
Even with all of these pieces in place it can still be uncomfortable to teach virtually. Everyone's a little different - things that work for one person might not work for another, or work for me. Unfortunately, there are no easy, one-step solutions to these barriers. I have noticed that people have shorter limits on where they can spend their energy. It takes a lot of clear communication and checking in to make sure people are feeling heard and understood. Through this process, I know that I’ve become a better teacher, and the skills that I’m using and learning right now will absolutely come with me when I start teaching in person again.
I really credit my students for sticking around through all of our growing pains. When we took on the challenge of pivoting to virtual classes, it became clear that our goal was not just to survive but to thrive. What I love most about burlesque is the humanity, courage and vulnerability it takes to create in this artform. It was imperative to make sure we had these elements in our virtual classes. I think the work we’ve put into our online classes really takes advantage of the benefits of teaching online. We now have students and teachers taking part from all over the continent. It has been a pure joy to reconnect with students from other places that I would have never had the chance to work with at this frequency, pre-pandemic. The opportunity to think creatively and use every tool in our tool box is what keeps me going through this wild ride.
Enjoy this TikTok from the end of August! So much has changed since this TikTok was made! Find out more next week!