The studio worked to transition to online classes in two days, owner Julie Dickens said.
She and her dance staff recorded close to 130 instructional videos in one day, creating a curriculum archive for students online. Any dancer can log in and watch instruction for any style of dance JDM teaches, Dickens said.
“I just can't say we're not going to dance anymore... that's just not even an option,” Dickens said.
From there, she began adding to the online studio, using Zoom to facilitate free exercise classes for adults and free dance classes for those ages 2 and 3 during the week. On weekends, JDM hosts dance parties and movie nights with Rave, another video conferencing tool.
“We’ve learned so much about technology,” Dickens said.
All of these steps have helped keep staff on the payroll, she said. Her teachers have also been able to utilize booking calendars for additional private lessons and will soon begin teaching classes on Zoom during traditional evening studio hours.
“My employees, my team, is everything to me and I wanted to make sure that not only was I keeping my dance families happy, but also maintaining my staff,” Dickens said. “I wanted to make sure that I was able to continue having them teach and to continue having them get paid, and not worry about their sources of income right now.”
Technology has lead to more families being involved in dance class, Dickens said. In one hip-hop class, three generations danced together: daughter, mom and grandma.
“It was the best moment I think in my three weeks of craziness,” Dickens said. “I was like, ‘Gosh, grandma needs to come to the recital,’ because she was getting down.”
JMD was named after the initials of Dicken’s three generations—Julie, her mother, Dottie, and daughter, Marley—but has taken on a new meaning since shifting to online during the pandemic.
“Now we've transitioned into saying that JDM is Just Dance More, because now is the time that people can do that,” Dickens said. “There's tons of opportunity for them to just take advantage of all of that [we offer].”
For new-to-town Lone Star Ballroom, the studio was only open for 10 days before being required to close, according to co-owner Ann Michelle Muscato.
“We had some significant momentum going actually, the community was very excited,” Muscato said. “So when we got the shutdown, we were really quite disappointed with that.”
Community partners like the McKinney Chamber of Commerce had helped promote the company as they opened, and Muscato is hopeful that the word will continue to be spread now.
Ballroom dancing is typically a partnered exercise, Muscato said, so to adjust to online classes, the curriculum has changed slightly at Lone Star. Dancers are now focusing largely on posture, frame, technique and other technical skills, rather than choreography, she said.
“[These are techniques] that typically a beginner wouldn't really receive as early on as they would be now,” Muscato said. “So honestly, it's a benefit and a win-win for everyone.”
Moving to virtual classes also builds more independent leading skills earlier on for those that wouldn’t typically be the leading dance partner, she said.
“Each person, the leader and the follower actually has to know their own parts... even though there's an action and a reaction, we each have our own part to do,” Muscato said.
The dance studio has also shortened the days that it operates to consolidate staff and save money where possible, she said. Muscato has applied to receive funding from the stimulus package, but expects that it will take time for processing, she said.
“In the meantime, we have to do what we can to make sure that we can still have those doors open when we return,” Muscato said.
Online packages are now available for people to sign up for classes, varying from single groups to private classes, and combinations of both. While ballroom dancing is typically engineered toward the adult crowd, online classes make it easier to get the entire family involved, Muscato said.
“This is definitely something that families can enjoy,” Muscato said. “We'd love to incorporate more children into our programs.”
While it is a necessity now, virtual dancing may have a long-term place in the Lone Star Ballroom, Muscato said. Online streaming and recorded classes allow for more flexibility for scheduling and give those that miss classes a chance to catch up, she said.
“It's definitely an opportunity that should not be ignored,” Muscato said
Virtual class options for Lone Star Ballroom are available on their website or by calling 214-553-5188.
For more information about JDM School of Dance classes and virtual opportunities, visit their website or view JDM’s archive of online dance lessons here.
