Persevering During A Pandemic
Hello friends, most of you know me as an aerialist who has had some success on big stages. While that is true, what many of you don’t see is the hustle and struggle that goes with this lifestyle. Social media projects an image of perfection, and the truth is, before the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t know when my next big job was going to be and my weekly hustle of working in nightclubs, doing one-off gigs and teaching at several studios while auditioning, was burning me out. I have a feeling that many other people were burnt out as well since I hear a lot of friends say that they love working from home and they hope never to have to go back to an office. I find myself in the same category because I’ve always been a homebody and I’m not eager to return to my former hectic life. But how to make money, especially when you are a part of the now defunct entertainment industry? That is the question.
Not everyone has the luxury of working from home. In fact, many people have been left jobless because of this pandemic. Some people have managed to get by on unemployment, which sadly paid more than their jobs did. But instead of thinking about how I was going to make money, I worried about how I was going to stay in aerial shape during a pandemic.
The first day of quarantine, I ordered a rig and a pole. Thankfully my boyfriend has a home with a large enough yard for a 16 ft rig. Not the highest training point but a few seconds ago I had no training point. Beggars can’t be choosers. But what was I going to do with my time, as an artist, especially while I waited for that rig? I was able to become a student again taking as many dance classes as possible, something that I always wanted to do but for which I never had the time. And weeks went by as I watched colleague after colleague start some version of an online workout class. Zoom was gaining in popularity for which they weren’t even prepared and everybody was getting their fitness on at home, with the screen being their only connection with friends old and new. I knew I had something to offer but struggled to find my niche amid the growing sea of what quickly became too many choices of the same thing.
So I thought long and hard about what set me apart in my industry and landed on my lines. These are the images created by a dancer’s body within a movement. It was something that I was always complimented on and while I am not the first person to teach a lines or dance technique class, I figured that this was a sufficiently underrepresented part of aerial training that could use some attention. Many up-and-coming aerialists, pole dancers and other acrobats focus so much on tricks and strength that they often neglect how they are performing these moves, how it looks aesthetically or even how it feels to be aware of all of their limbs as well as the skill they are executing at the same time. And even when this is brought to their attention, they realize that going to a dance class is intimidating and in it they are flooded with information that goes way over their heads. There are not many classes for adults that break it down for you, go slowly, offer simple exercises, answer all of your questions and give you choreography. I’m happy that I decided to do my part in filling this void as I can see the appreciation from my students who come and enjoy the class week to week. Some have even attested to it making a difference in their work.
As for the aerial, it started to feel like I was rubbing my rig in everyone’s faces when I began posting my training videos. I realized that many people were heartbroken from the closing of studios, some permanently, and so I opened up my space for classes at my little rig. Adhering to strict COVID-19 rules, I drill my students in strength-work and technique, keeping them on course with the goals they had before those goals were stymied by the virus. I like to hope that one day we will finally be on the other side of this whole thing and that even though it may never be the same, that the wider entertainment industry would be able to reopen for business. I hope that we will all be able to perform again with less hustling involved in the lifestyle. In the meantime, getting this rig was the best thing I could have done for the year because it allows me to train and make some semblance of a living while stuck at home.
These past few months also found me participating in a myriad of online shows before I was burnt out from even doing those. Without a live audience and with little pay, I couldn’t keep distracting myself. For this is the time to finally work on my dream acts as opposed to short-notice performances.
I know it seems like I hit the ground running and I didn’t have any moments of depression during the pandemic; and maybe this is my way of dealing with the sadness of the times; but make no mistake, I have no idea what’s happening next, if I would even be able to sustain my current lifestyle or if any of my dreams will pan out. All I can control is what I do now, and sometimes that’s sleeping in, eating all the snacks, watching all the shows, acting classes and roller skating?? This year, it seems, is for living in the present and preparing for the unknown future. And that is the only way I can persevere during this pandemic.
How are you persevering during this pandemic?