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Kids are now learning to play sports, practice dance and more virtually amid pandemic

Posted at 11:33 PM, Jun 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-03 06:35:45-04

(WXYZ) — With the coronavirus pandemic coming up on the 3-month mark, the new normal for kids this summer is doing nearly everything online. From sports to the arts and music, including dance, kids are having to adapt to a new normal.

It's a new world for everybody, including dancers who belong on stage.

"I just appreciate all that has gone into keeping us connected virtually to keep us strong as a dance community," Abbeigh Ardnt said.

She's a senior in high school and dances, and teaches for the Power Dance Company in West Bloomfield.

Ryann Nicole Taylor, the studio's owner, said the staff has noticed an improvement in the dancers, despite being virtual.

Eventually, masks and social distancing with few people in the room will come in.

"I teach in Japan all the time and kids come to class in masks all the time when they have a cold just to not infect everyone else," Freelance dancer Christopher Huggins said.

Huggins is a former member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. he teaches all over the world and is now doing Zoom classes for Legacy Dance Studio.

With dance, it's a battle to keep students attention.

Spring is typically time for round the clock rehearsal for recital and competition. Power Dance Company is competing virtually.

Legacy's Director Crystall Winkler who has been teaching dance for more than 30 years knows what's at stake with COVID-19.

Winkler – who danced in New York – also wants her students to continue to grow.

"Students can go online and just take classes from choreographers and artists from all over the country," she said.

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