13 Months of Lockdown

How many more to go, we ask?

As we enter into our one-year anniversary month of lockdown in the U.K, we see a different world of dance then we ever could have imagined.

Victory, failure, passion, determination, dedication, endings, new beginnings. 

For some of us, we are in the cocooning stages; like a caterpillar blooming into a beautiful butterfly. Our transformations will develop in ways that are beyond our current comprehension.

We have deeper personal transformations on a divine level, we have a collective transformation and a curiosity as to what is the world going to be like - walking into the unknown. It is believed that after 90 days of readjusting to something in your life, it becomes the norm, therefore 365 days of lockdown is our current normality. 

On a daily basis, we talk about our ‘lockdown life’.  In the UK, we are blessed as we now have a strict vaccine rollout.  13 months of lockdown, now we only have 2 more months to go before we can begin to see life after. 

For our friends in Hong Kong, life is a different story; their quarantine has been extended into October. Hong Kong is not accepting any people from U.K, USA is business as normal on the West coast and the East is more stringent so dancers, just like the birds, are flying West. Taiwan is recovered.

What we have learnt during these 13 months?  

In our world of dance, we may compete against one another, but we all are one despite where on the globe we are located. We not only depend on each other, we support and love one another, we care for each other’s feelings and emotions; together we become stronger.

Currently, we live our lives under the restrictions of our governments, but we also live within our own limitations.  How do we feel about going back to the studio?  Our local governments may say we are open, but our individual selves may say ‘no I’m not going’ or ‘yes I can not wait.’  With many countries there is no sign of such a vaccine rollout, the decision is to move forward with caution is not an option.

How will Blackpool be? A burning question. As vendors for Blackpool, without our Asian counterparts is it viable as a business for us to attend and how will it feel without many of our international friends. For professional dancers: do they go to keep their title with the prospect of not being able to return to their homes afterwards? Will the U.K government permit 10,000 people from 32 different countries to congregate in the Winter Gardens, which is currently being used as a vaccine centre? How can an international world dance championship take place whilst the world champion dancers may have to quarantine in hotels when entering the U.K and may not be permitted back into their country of residence afterwards? 

Together, we all have a goal: to dance together again, experiencing the true splendour and glory of our world of dance; which when lockdown is over will be a new refreshed, revitalised international platform which will represent the greater good.

We all must trust. Trust in ourselves and the true authenticity of our new world.