Arts Intranet

One by one, members communicated updates in our group chats, just as the World Health Organization announced the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. 

“My work just decided we are doing work from home for 2 weeks.”

“Yeah same, and my rehearsals and shows are cancelled for the rest of the month!”

Messages like this have continued as we settled into a new reality of working from home, cancelled arts programs, and self-isolation. Through this challenging time, JComm has been a community I could rely on for support and comfort. 

The Dance/NYC Junior Committee (JComm for short) is a group of dancers, arts administrators, and advocates that includes emerging leaders from the field working to create positive change in the New York City dance and artist community through research, activism, and community support. Though we are scheduled to meet twice a month (one virtual meeting, one in-person meeting per month), our community and friendship extends outside of meetings, as we go to theater performances together, take group museum visits, and even support voter registration. As “social distancing” became an increasingly common theme among social media feeds, the news, and even my favorite podcasts, I was concerned and disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to feel connected or stay close to this dear group during a time of panic.

I started seeing videos and posts pop up showing various ways arts organizations and individual artists were staying connected to each other using creativity and performance: Italian opera singers belting beautiful melodies off of their balconies, yoga studios offering free online classes, teaching artists hosting doodle lunch breaks, and more. While scrolling through these videos, I felt a sense of community, comradery, and hope. Feeling inspired to do the same within my own life, I asked my JComm friends to send in videos of themselves dancing in their spaces of choice (rooms, rooftops, outdoors, etc.). As videos started coming in, I began to compile them together to flow into one. I edited clips together to show both a connection between each dance move and the contrast between each member’s dance style. Once I completed the video, I was overjoyed, as a short minute-long video became a showcase of my friends’ talent, passion, and support.

A video that was created to solidify community amid uncertainty became a piece of art itself. What started as a fun collaboration for a group of us became a beautiful digital dance, enjoyed by many others. During this time of social distancing, I challenge you to experiment and utilize what you have and use art to bring your communities together. Whether it be through photos, social media posts, or even your current knitting project, see how you can bring creation to a time of isolation.

Visit Americans for the Arts' COVID-19 Resource and Response Center to learn ways the arts are affected by the coronavirus health crisis and how you and your organization can respond.