Performing in a pandemic: the changing nature of ballet in 2021
In response to the restrictions of COVID-19 safety guidelines, ballet companies have shifted towards digital performances that viewers can watch from home. I sat down with Cody Davis of the Richmond ballet company to talk about how COVID-19 has affected her ability to perform.
One of the biggest changes was performing in a mask. Davis said, “I find that I’ve been more fatigued this year, like muscle wise, which is new to me, and I feel like it’s just because the oxygen isn’t getting to the places it normally does. And we’ve also been doing shorter pieces this season and like more condensed things, so that we’re not huffing and puffing in the masks for probably not more than 25 minutes at a time while we’re performing.”
However, not all of the changes brought on by COVID-19 have been negative ones. “on the plus of that, my stamina is probably much higher than it was before, and so when we’re able to take the masks off and dance, I feel like I’ll be unstoppable,” said Davis.
Since the Richmond Ballet company has stopped in-person performances, Davis has found alternative outlets for ballet dancing in-between digital performances. “We were all taking class in our homes and trying to stay in shape, and the ballet gave us all pieces of marley to work on so that we wouldn’t be on our wood floors or our carpet floors,” said Davis. “So I feel like we finished the season that way, kind of just trying to stay in shape and take class from home. I can dance, luckily I’m married to a fellow dancer, and so we can dance together. But if you’re not married, you don’t live with somebody else, you can’t really dance with anybody. So it’s been a lot of I think finding REP in our programs that have more people who dance by themselves in it. So I feel like that’s been more challenging for the artistic staff to kind of figure that out, but, I mean, luckily, I’ve gotten to dance with my husband all season, so it’s been kind of nice for me.”
While COVID-19 has forced ballet companies to adapt, ballet as an art form has also been changing. According to Davis, up until recently ballet was focused much more on competition, with dancers competing to prove their athletic prowess. While she appreciates the excitement of competitions, Davis believes the focus on performing elaborate tricks detracts from the artistry of ballet.
“I think it’s easier to tell a story when you’re not focused on technique and you’re just focusing on your character and what you’re trying to portray instead of, you know, how you’re trying to portray it. But I also feel like now ballet is going more digital, which I think is good, because I feel like if it didn’t adapt and didn’t move forward in that direction, I don’t think it would be able to survive as long as possible, you know what I mean? So like, there’s a lot of companies now that are doing digital seasons, where they’re streaming the programs that they’re doing so more people can see them, even if they can’t come to the theater, and so I feel like that’s been a pretty big improvement,” said Davis.
For Davis, the one thing that has not changed about ballet is what it means to her. From age six, she has been dancing for her entire life. “I don’t remember telling my parents this, but I told them I wanted to be a ballet dancer and I don’t know why, I don’t know what I saw or what made me feel that way,” said Davis.
“And I think my mom probably [thought] as soon as I got older and started taking ballet finally that oh, maybe she’ll grow out of it; you know it’s like a phase. But it never changed, and so I feel like for me ballet is… kind of a part of who I am, because I don’t know really what I would be without it, I don’t know where my life would be without it, because it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Davis has a wealth of advice from her years of experience for people interested in taking up ballet. She said that ballet never gets easier. “Every day I’m still learning new things, and I feel like your goal is always to achieve perfection and you’re never really going to get there,” said Davis. “But you can always strive for it, and so every day you’re trying to be better and you’re trying to learn more things and I feel like if you have that kind of thirst for learning and always [are] trying to reach further, I think ballet is a great choice, and I think it can teach you a lot about who you are and your work ethic.”
“And so I feel like everybody should try it, you know, at least for a little bit because it’s so different from anything else that you can do. If you have the same kind of focus that you can have in ballet to learn things, I feel like that will improve other areas of your life as well. And so I feel like everybody should try it just because I feel like it really sets you up to open your horizons and expand on other things and other avenues,” said Davis.
