All Corona related issues
- Thread starter ProgressNotPerfection
- Start date
Paragon Open has gone virtual.
Kudos to Andre and Elena for being ready to make it work.
Kudos to Andre and Elena for being ready to make it work.
The cancellation announcement from Hollywood Dancesport was interesting; the voiceover and captioning against the hyper-dance-y background video, for one thing.
raindance
Forum Master
They also mentioned infections in the dance industry. First mention I’ve heard of that.
Was this comp originally scheduled in person? I'm very interested in virtual opportunities, but these seem to be popping up with very little lead time (not that I could do anything during October anyway, it's an all-hands-on-deck month at work). Maybe a separate thread on this forum to announce virtual comp opportunities - in addition to the one started by fiesta in the section at the bottom.
And on my previous topic.... I admit I sort of chuckled (I know, not nice) at this announcement, but the studio also mentioned plans to go to a couple European cities in the spring. No concrete details, just gathering student interest and probably prepping us for the hard sell. Now, I haven't travelled overseas in a couple decades, and I'm not on top of the current situation, but I thought there were still restrictions on that. Any sense from more seasoned travelers as to whether that is even a realistic hope (I know it's a long way off)? I'm not planning to go, just curious. On the surface it seems like kind of a big leap given the starting point, with so many domestic comps being cancelled.
First I heard, too. In the comments on the FB post, an AM comp in Florida was mentioned. I don't know if anyone's actually doing follow-up on in-person comps, or contract tracing.
Also interesting that the organizers had to cope with dancers who refuse to wear masks, and some who will only dance if masks are required, or wtte.
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Yes, originally in-person; it's been one of my go-to comps for years (only half an hour away, hard to resist). The Gavrilines have one in spring (Tristate) and this in the fall. Tristate is in March. We were all ready to go dance when it got cancelled.
I understand why comps have little lead time; they have to wait to find out if regulations will change, hotels accommodate, etc etc.
raindance
Forum Master
As far as I know, much of Europe is still not allowing US travelers. Heck, Canada doesn't even want us visiting. And with our infection rates, I can't blame them one bit. Spring seems a bit wildly optimistic to me.
Our studio is grappling with this issue, so I'm not totally surprised that it's surfacing as well (and probably more forcefully, where emotions tend to run higher) on the comp scene.
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
My studio is also putting on an event in November, which they call a mini-match (a pseudo-comp at which full costuming is recommended; there will be 4 outside judges and multiple single-dance heats throughout the day [smooth/standard before lunch & rhythm/Latin after lunch]; and each dancer will be given “proficiency” ratings from each judge in each of several categories rather than placements). It will take place at a private upscale club, which has LOTS of private rooms where ladies can change clothes without getting too close to each other. Last year they had professional sound & light & photography & video recording, but idk if that’s all happening this year or not. And as of now, it appears that spectators are allowed, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that changes before the actual day.
They’re limiting the number of heats to 3 for each dance style, which for me means 27 rhythm & smooth heats with Pro and 3 Int’l waltz heats with StandardPro. The heats will be more spread out during the day than in previous years, and there’ll be fewer couples on the floor in each heat.
Masks are required at all times, no exceptions, just like in the studio itself. And I predict that there will be the same setup as at the recent “studio fun nights,” with pump bottles of hand sanitizer on every table and the requirement that everyone use them liberally between each heat.
At my lessons, I have been adamant that Pro and I dance at LEAST one or two styles for 2 straight minutes without stopping, no matter how poorly it’s going. After the “fun nights,” I had told him I wouldn’t participate in the mini-match unless we practiced doing that at every lesson. He agreed, and we have been doing that - and it’s freaking HARD!!!!! It is obvious how much we need to practice this skill together. Despite his 20+ years of teaching experience, he really, really seems to struggle with his desire to stop and “fix” me. There’s a lot of behind-the-mask mutual muttering of “damn it” and “just keep going” and “no, don’t you dare stop” and “don’t worry, we’ll work on that” and “oh crap I should have recognized that - I’m sorry!”
So wearing a mask is actually a benefit to the newbie performer who hasn’t yet learned to shut up. Plus I don’t have to worry about facial expressions, other than not grimacing or rolling my eyes. And I only have to wear makeup from my cheekbones up.
TL;DR: this event will be very good experience for me, even with this year’s health-mandated modifications.
Dear Dancers,
We were hoping to bring you positive news concerning our upcoming event in Los Angeles. However, as you may know, there has been a resurgence of COVID-19 worldwide. We wish all the infected a swift and painless recovery.
Our wish was to jumpstart the dancing on the west coast, but due to this outbreak, we have no choice but to cancel this year’s Hollywood Dancesport Championships. We are also dealing with an outpouring of conflicting views regarding masks on the dance floor: some refuse to wear masks, while others refuse to compete unless everyone is wearing masks. This puts us as organizers in a difficult position. Our first priority is your health and safety. In light of these new infections and the uncertainties facing indoor events, we feel it is best to wait until next year when we will hopefully have a vaccine in place.
If you have sent payments already, we will be in touch with you. No payments have been processed. If you have already booked your flight and your airline needs documentation of the event’s cancellation due to COVID-19, please contact our office.
We would like to thank our team that was already working hard on producing this year’s event.
Until next year,
Mary, Michael & Jonathan
raindance
Forum Master
Another competition cancellation - from Facebook, from Arunas Bizokas:
"North American Imperial Star Ball
EVENT CANCELLATION! - We are so sorry to inform you that this year’s 2020 North American has been cancelled. Please plan to attend next year’s event on Nov. 11-14, 2021. If any questions, please contact us using the Contact page on our web site.
Thanks so much for your support.
Sincerely, Arunas & Katusha."
Considering the comp is in the Chicago area, and nearby in Milwaukee they are setting up a field hospital at the moment, I think this was a good decision. Illinois seems to be somewhere between holding steady and having infections and deaths rise slowly (never having gotten to a truly low level of either), but surrounding states are surging currently.
"North American Imperial Star Ball
EVENT CANCELLATION! - We are so sorry to inform you that this year’s 2020 North American has been cancelled. Please plan to attend next year’s event on Nov. 11-14, 2021. If any questions, please contact us using the Contact page on our web site.
Thanks so much for your support.
Sincerely, Arunas & Katusha."
Considering the comp is in the Chicago area, and nearby in Milwaukee they are setting up a field hospital at the moment, I think this was a good decision. Illinois seems to be somewhere between holding steady and having infections and deaths rise slowly (never having gotten to a truly low level of either), but surrounding states are surging currently.
DanceMentor
Administrator
I was having fun the other day watching and Arthur Murray having a sort of team match on Facebook live period everyone was wearing masks and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. There weren't too many people in the room and people are keeping a good distance.
I really don't take too much issue with this sort of thing as it seems like everyone is taking good precautions. Obviously if there was an extreme situation in the area, which there is not right now, it would be different. But the number of cases is an elevated level but not extremely high.
I really don't take too much issue with this sort of thing as it seems like everyone is taking good precautions. Obviously if there was an extreme situation in the area, which there is not right now, it would be different. But the number of cases is an elevated level but not extremely high.
Andrei Gavriliine, organizer for Paragon Open, just spent about 45 minutes on Zoom talking with pro-am dancers who had concerns about the virtual format for Paragon. Kudos to him for transparency, helpfulness, and just general all around thumbs up. If I were the virtual-comp type*, I'd do his in a heartbeat just because he wants so much to make it work for his competitors, even offering to talk you through it beforehand, in a phone call or zoom. Way to go, Andrei.
*and if Teach were the virtual-comp type
*and if Teach were the virtual-comp type