Sunday, 29 March 2020

Corona virus

A new type of normal has begun. 
A different life than I have experienced before. Corona virus has hit the Uk fiercely and life as we knew it is on pause. 

Two weeks ago the government advised us to practice social distancing , especially those in a high risk group ( of which I am ). The dance classes I run all got cancelled and slowly everything started to shut down. Schools were then closed , restaurants , libraries ,  non essential shops etc, and finally a lockdown.  The lockdown is to stop the spread of the virus and to protect the NHS , which are already to capacity. 

The lockdown currently allows you to go to a supermarket to get essential items ( advice is only once a week ), essential workers are still allowed to work but many people are working from home. We are allowed to leave our homes for one exercise per day eg a short walk. 

So it is a very different way of life at the moment. We are very lucky we live in a developed country as we are being offered help and assistance financially from the government. It is also important to remember how lucky we are in that we are safe , healthy and have food, a roof over our heads and live comfortably. Other people are not so lucky.

I wanted to show how my life is continuing within my dance teaching work. 
I run a franchise of pre school ballet and tap and we are continuing to run classes online. Engagement with customers is really important at this moment in time, everyone has more time to social network , so it’s important to stay on the ball!

My living room has been transformed into a make shift studio ! I now have a tripod and use my trusty iPhone to film videos that I upload. ( I also sometimes do live videos too)

The feedback has been really lovely. Everyone has been so pleased with the videos and the little ones have been really engaged. As we approach the final week of this term, I then need to invoice everyone for next term which will be online classes. It’s unlikely everyone will stay due to the current situation and it’s understandable that not everyone can afford to. 
Staying positive is really important as we all need to have a business to go back to at the end of this awful crisis. 

The best thing we can currently do is to keep things going , stay safe and stay at home to protect the wonderful NHS. 

It is at times like this that we really appreciate what we have. We are so lucky to have freedom in our normal lives, good heath, family and friends. And it’s going to make for an amazing party when it’s all over !!!

Our BAPP course luckily can continue throughout ( one of the perks of distance learning  !). So I am trying to use my extra time to really get to grips with the essays in module 2. 

Stay safe everyone. And thanks to our wonderful NHS and all key workers 🌈 




4 comments:

CathLimerick said...

Hey Lois! This is a great post - relating it back to our BAPP course; it is so interesting how most of our lives and jobs now revolve around WEB 2.0. It's how we are still able to earn a living, communicate with the rest of the world and try carry on with our lives. As someone who never really used the internet before it's been a big adjustment for me! Stay healthy and safe! x

Serina Faull said...

Hi Lois! Lovely words, we are lucky that we can continue our course regardless of the pandemic. My ballet contract has been cancelled, and haven't performed since 14th March! Like Cathleen said, technology and Web 2.0 is amazing and we can keep fit and motivated. I admire your work for you students and parents, I am sure they are grateful for you too.

Lois Dutton said...

Thanks so much for your kind words
Best of luck with your presentation in the morning
Best wishes
Lois

Lois Dutton said...

Thank you Serína
It must feel like eternity since you performed !
I bet you can’t wait to get back into it all
Best wishes
Lois