SAUGUS — When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the North Shore mid-March, many local dance studios quickly made the decision to move their recitals online or cancel them entirely.
For Dance Junction owner Lauren Angelo, however, neither felt like an option.
“Some kids look forward to this all year,” she said. “This is their marathon.”
Many instructors say performing on stage helps young dancers build confidence, giving them an opportunity to apply everything they’ve learned throughout the year while working in a group setting. Since taking over Dance Junction five years ago, Angelo said her own studio’s recitals have been an integral part of her students’ dance development and experience.
She said the Saugus-based school strives to be inclusive by offering a variety of classes for a wide range of ages and ability levels, which makes the end-of-year show even more meaningful for students and their families.
“Our show is so special. We have such a diverse dance community and we offer a program for everybody because there’s always a path for everyone to develop here,” Angelo said. “Each year it’s something different and people are really brought to tears. It’s a very emotional experience and it’s a very beautiful time for a lot of people.”
Not yet ready to accept defeat, Angelo said she held out hope that the show — initially scheduled for June 19th — could still go on.
It wasn’t until Reading High School, the venue where Dance Junction typically holds its recitals, informed her it was canceling all scheduled performances, that Angelo said it finally hit her. Unsure how long the pandemic’s effects were likely to last, Angelo moved the show date to late August and immediately set out to find a new venue, eventually landing on one that would still allow for 75 students and audience members to socially distance.
“I was all excited about this space,” she said. “It was outdoors and would have allowed people to be safe. We were going to break it up into multiple shows and do it in a way that would be safest not only for our children, but for families who were going to be watching.”
Then three weeks ago, Angelo received another email informing her that the new venue, the Saugus Elks, would also be unable to host the event. She was devastated.
“We weren’t the only ones who were canceled, but it still doesn’t soften the blow,” she said. “Every studio is having a different experience with this, but I think people can relate to where I’m coming from where it’s been letdown after letdown. We’re doing the best we can to scramble and get these kids some kind of closure to this year, because that’s the most important thing for them.”
Now, less than three weeks away from her new Aug. 27 show date, Angelo said she’s left looking for yet another option.
“I’m not ever going to say ‘this is it’ until I know In my heart that this is something that will make everybody have a special and memorable time while also staying safe,” she said, adding that the entire experience has been one of the most frustrating of her life.
“For the kids especially, they’ve really been gypped out of a lot of things,” she said. “Dance is canceled. Sports are canceled. These activities they depend on for social and emotional growth were taken away from them because of the pandemic, and this is a way for us to come back together as a community and bring back that joy of dance.”
Thankfully, Angelo said she has received support from other local studio owners. In particular, she’s been in close contact with Christine Proia, owner of Christine Proia’s Dance Academy. The two frequently exchange ideas on how to make their hopes for a socially-distanced show a reality.
Angelo said having a community of other dance instructors makes her feel less alone as she navigates how to best help the students she loves during such a difficult time.
“It isn’t something that’s anybody’s fault. I just feel small businesses in general are getting crushed by this pandemic, and we want to (put) a spotlight on different programs, like the arts,” Angelo said. “You see these news articles coming out about the arts suffering in different ways, and in your own town, kids need these things. Kids need to have these things in their daily lives.
“Having the recital is just one part of a bigger issue, which is, ‘where is our support?’ That’s what I’m navigating through now. Am I my own support system, or am I alone in this?”