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I had booked a studio at Yorkshire Dance for our September company class because it has a piano. Throughout lockdown, I had promised our members that Jane Tucker would one day lead triumphantly back to the studio with David Plumpton at the piano.
It was, therefore, something of a blow to learn that we were limited to 12 in the studio including our teacher. The increasing numbers of coronavirus cases across the country as a whole and in the North of England, in particular, was a further blow. The sudden imposition of restrictions in Leeds on the very day of the class felt like the last straw.
And yet today turned into a triumph - not a disappointment - thanks entirely to Jane Tucker's inspired teaching and Sarah Lambert's technical genius. Just over half of us attended the class in the studio while the rest of us joined in from home over Zoom. We had tried a hybrid class last month with Sophie Richardson and several dancers in Birmingham and others at home. It was a partial success despite Sophie's brilliant teaching because those of us at home had problems with the sound which made us feel more like spectators than participants.
This time Jane and Sarah made us fee;l a single integrated class. We felt the energy radiating from Leeds and iI got the impression that we were energizing them in return. Never have I seen the dancers in the studio and online look happier, more confident or more capable. Never have I been more proud of our company.
Our July company class will be given by Lynne Reucroft-Croome in Studio 3 at Dance Studio Leeds on 24 Oct 2020 between 16:15 and 17:45. We hope to acquire a portable microphone for the teacher which should improve sound quality even more. We shall also return to Manchester just as soon as the Dancehouse becomes available for hire. If anyone can suggest an alternative venue in Manchester, Liverpool or elsewhere in the Northwest please let me know.
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