During COVID-19, many students have been struggling with keeping up their normal lives. Whether students passed their time by scrolling through TikTok or sleeping for 12 hours a day, most have put a pause on their extracurricular activities and sports. Since the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, Zoom calls have been the best alternative to stay safe throughout the pandemic, and school hasn’t been the same for many students. At UHS, there are two classes that count for both PE and Art credit: Color guard and Dance (Tech 1, Tech 1, Khana Chor, and Dance Company). Although there have been no in-person practices, these students had to stay artistic and physically active in order to maintain their skill. However, quarantine has made a dramatic impact on their daily lives.
These students have been working to come up with ideas and plans so that they don’t waste any time. Dance Company President Victoria Cheng said, “[We] spent a good chunk of our class time to plan for this year, because it has never been like this before and no one knows how everything will go, so we need to plan ahead for our shows.”
Many students complained about all the experiences they missed due to COVID-19. Senior Dance Company member Ailie Fukushima said, “Showcase is one of the most exciting shows in the year and after hearing that it wasn’t going to happen, it broke everyone’s hearts, especially the seniors.”
In addition to missing shows and performances, many students are missing the experiences and bonding opportunities they would normally get through being in-person.
Junior color guard Captain Sophia Lee said, “[being in person] strengthens our bonds within the team, especially by being able to provide a welcoming atmosphere for our new members.”
Although there were many changes to these student’s lives, some things didn’t change. Sophomore Dance Company member Paulina Wodarz said, “Something that is the same is that we are all learning different, new styles of dance together as a group.”
These students have been trying extremely hard to stay united as a team during this time, and they are finding ways to keep their connections through zoom.
“There’s a sense of unity when you’re all spinning together that you just can’t get over Zoom,” Senior color guard Captain Tara Nguyen said. “I’m just glad that there is a way that we can still spin together even though we’re all in different places.”
In the end, these students have persevered through these tough times and found ways to make the best out of everything. Even though they wish things were different, they are being very productive and using their time to the best of their ability. Now that hybrid has begun, some students are going back to school. Color guard students are practicing their dance and flag skills together at school, but they do not have any plans for upcoming shows or performances. They will be practicing and improving their skills, and getting ready for football season in January. Dance Company has been a part of Univision, showing off their skills and ability to perform online. Although they cannot give many details about the future, we do know that something is being planned for the future.
