MARBLEHEAD — This summer just about everyone’s worlds have been flipped upside down during the pandemic and the dance community hasn’t had it any better.
In fact, the Marblehead School of Ballet had to change the way it did everything when in-person classes shut down on March 15.
“It was a very dramatic change,” said Paula K Shiff, director of MSB. “All of a sudden everyone was getting anxious the week before COVID started shutting things down. We had to suspend all classes in our studio.
“The first two months were a huge struggle,” she said. “We always want to give our students the best and here we were in a whole new world. We had to ask, ‘What’s the best way to go forward?'”
The next move for the school was to start offering classes online through Zoom, a task easier said than done.
“I am a very hands-on teacher,” Shiff said. “I would go up to a student and help with alignment or be right next to them guiding them through things. That was a huge change for them and us as teachers.”
Shiff founded Marblehead School of Ballet in 1971, and today the school teaches a diverse group from children to aspiring professionals. The school includes graded ballet program classes that cover stretch and strength, modern and Pilates, along with partnered dances like salsa, tango, ballroom, Latin, and swing.
“We have people that dance for different reasons,” Shiff said. “Some people have a passion and want to be the best they can be. Others want to pursue careers, and some people do it for other activities. We have a lot of (figure) skaters and people with other athletic endeavors.”
She knew offering these different things online wasn’t going to be easy and would take plenty of time and adjustment, but with plenty of help from staff and volunteers the programs got up and running.
Things certainly haven’t been perfect, but one thing Shiff didn’t expect was MSB really starting to thrive under the new virtual model.
“It started to really blossom,” Shiff said. “We have a very large demographic of students and some live an hour and half away from our studio. Now, because there’s no driving, some students have actually increased the amount they’re taking classes.
“We’re constantly finding ways to make it better for everyone,” Shiff said. “Of course, we’ve lost members who are overwhelmed. This is such a challenging time for everyone. But there are other people who this is something they can be comfortable with.”
“I’m able to give all the same details and instructions online. It’s just not hands on or in a large space,” Shiff said. “It’s still high quality and it still brings people fulfillment and lets them enjoy their passion. People can feel good about bodies, be strong, flexible and keep moving, which is so important, especially right now.”
It’s been rewarding for Shiff to see dance blossom in general at her school, let alone during a global pandemic.
“We’ve been very blessed. We have a really tight knit community here,” Shiff said. “The arts are not well supported in this country and dance gets the least support. There’s nothing that replaces being in a studio. I was really wondering how we were going to do this. But we have a fabulous board and volunteers.”
COVID has changed plenty of plans for the future, but Marblehead School of Ballet is still looking forward to celebrating its 49th season this fall, which started this week.
“We’re having a virtual celebration Sept. 20, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” Shiff said. “People can sign up for free tickets online and say hello. There will be a lot of different students from different decades.
“We’re always looking to service and to grow,” Shiff said. “The arts do so much for the soul and every individual. It’s very important to keep it in our lives, especially right now.”
