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Did online dance classes improve mental health during the pandemic? Four academics have been investigating and have recommendations for future best practice.

Use of breath, close physical proximity, and tactile cues are some of the unique facets that draw many individuals to seek out and explore a dance training practice, both on an amateur and a professional level. In March of 2020, these aspects were abruptly removed from the lexicon of dance educators worldwide as lockdowns became necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19. Dance artists and educators have utilized the creativity, resilience and adaptability that are markers of their chosen profession to rapidly create an explosion of online and virtual content in the field of dance education and performance. Many of these online platforms, such as the website Dancing Alone Together, have stepped in to fill the void that dancers have experienced due to the acute loss of connection during lockdown and quarantine. Many prominent professional companies (e.g., Límon, Cunningham, Graham) have shifted to social media platforms such as Instagram for daily broadcast of classes and physical practice.

The transition to virtual teaching has presented a unique challenge as dance educators learn how to use a two-dimensional format for a skill that is three-dimensional in nature...Keep reading on Taylor & Francis Online.