NVCWDA prides itself on being a group that promotes “social dancing.” Right now we certainly are missing the connections that our dances provide as we strive for “social distancing,” exactly the opposite from what we desire. The website The Dancing Grapevine has a good article called Dance in the Time of Corona. Although the pandemic situation changes daily, some of the insights still apply. Quotes from the article are below:

If you are reading this, I imagine you love social dancing. I imagine one of the many reasons you love social dancing is because of the community and sense of connection that comes with it. This is an opportunity for you to channel that inner love for connection and community and use it to save lives through social distancing.

Yes, most people who get the virus will be fine and experience mild symptoms. However, young, healthy people serve as vectors of transmission to people in the population most vulnerable to adverse health outcomes (aka. Grandma and Grandpa). And if you ask, you may realize that your dance community itself is not as young or as free from chronic health conditions as you thought.

Social distancing will mean no social dancing for a while. It’s asking for a small (and in some cases major) individual inconvenience for the greater societal benefit. The risk of spreading coronavirus through social dancing, particularly at large congresses, is high. There are already large social dancing events being cancelled throughout the world, whether out of an organizer’s concern for public health or mandated by governments…

I still believe one thing I wrote previously: stay calm, go on with your life, take extra hygiene precautions, and – for now – send virtual hugs to your dance partners. Practice social distancing instead of social dancing. Be kind to each other; dance will be there after corona-winter.