Brianna Boyle, Owner and Director of Dance Studio B, is meeting the challenges of producing a performance, keeping her studio running, and helping the Laramie community stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. “One of the great teaching tools that you receive in the dance world is how to adapt,” Boyle says. “You know you’re constantly problem solving as a dancer, and I think that those skills that I grew up with absolutely helped when we’re encountering such a scary and unfamiliar time.”
Every spring, Dance Studio B creates and choreographs a live, family-friendly production, performed at the Gryphon Theater. Past shows include Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
This year, Boyle planned to produce The Wizard of Oz. Due to the pandemic, she had to find an alternative to keep her students and community safe. “Instead of a performance, we made a movie. We ended up renting the Oxford Horse & Cattle Ranch which is outside of town, and we went in small groups with less than ten people including me. We were outside and we filmed each of their dances… all of the dances were then edited into a movie format.”
Boyle explains how she has adapted her teaching methods during Covid-19 and the positive outcomes she has seen through running her studio during the pandemic. “When we were first made aware of it [Covid-19] and closures happened, we lost about 25% of our families. We immediately closed our doors and went to Zoom, and we still held our classes and rehearsal but it was all online… When we were allowed to reopen our doors with certain regulations, we were able to do better than we’ve ever done, because families stayed in Laramie. We had more students who wanted to take summer dance than ever before.”
Boyle must follow many safety measures now that her studio is open in person again, to ensure that her dancers are kept safe. “Current changes we require; masks during classes, we are constantly deep cleaning our studio, we take temperatures at the door, we have stations and a gridline studio now for each student to make sure we maintain social distancing, we have industrial grade air purifiers… and hand sanitizer stations all over the studio.”
Dance studio B’s dancers are now enjoying dancing in their studio again with only a few inconveniences. Students who prefer to stay home, have the option to continue joining in through Zoom classes. Boyle’s Wizard of Oz movie, filmed in May 2020, will be available soon for her dancers and their families to view. “Everything has become a habit, and with habit comes comfortability. I think there is a sense we are all in this together which helps on a day-to-day basis, so I think the emotionality and the reality have both become easier.”
For more information on Dance Studio B, visit https://www.laramiedancestudiob.com/.