Where To Make Hair And Makeup At Utah Nationals Ballroom

Past Kora Stoynova

This blog mail was originally posted at www.skdancesport.com on March 15, 2020 immediately following the 2020 Amateur Nation Dancesport Championships.

Students receiving their awards at the 2020 US Amateur National DanceSport Championships with their coaches.

This is the story of the 2020 Amateur National Dancesport Championships, held in Provo, UT, this twelvemonth. Every year, dozens of couples from Aria Ballroom, representing almost every age group and ability level, head to Utah in order to compete. This year, Aria Ballroom couples headed there just similar any other… except this year would not exist like any other. This is the story of COVID-19 and how information technology afflicted the 2020 The states Apprentice National Dancesport Championships, every bit told from the viewpoint of Aria Ballroom
owner and #teamaria double-decker, Kora Stoynova.

United States Amateur National Dancesport Championships

In America, National Championships are carve up into two distinct competitions. In March, apprentice dancers of all ages descend on Provo, UT and effectively have over the Marriott Center at the BYU Campus. And in September, professional person competitors and their pro-am partners dauntless the threat of hurricanes to coalesce in Orlando, FL at the Disney Globe Resort.

For our apprentice students, who make upwardly the bulk of our competitive students, the Apprentice National Dancesport Championships represents the culmination of a year of training, exercise, and difficult work. When nosotros say amateurs, we're talking competitive amateurs of all ages. Our youngest competitive dancer is only 6 years old. Our oldest is 72. So we truly accept the entire range.

Training for National Championships begins in Oct. We decide with each individual couple which events they will enter, and begin preparations. At this time, we have a long, hard look at each routine and make necessary changes. Choreography changes are done by the start of the new year's day, and the next two months are spent in refinement. Couples spend 5 months working exclusively on the dances they will utilise at National Championships. This, we truly experience, has much to do with our couples' consistent success.

For this twelvemonth, Aria Ballroom had 16 couples travelling to Provo. Our youngest couple was a Preteen couple who were both aged 9, and our oldest couple were adults in their twenties, competing in the Open Amateur Ballroom Championships. Normally Simeon and I bring this teacher, Atanas, with usa to Provo, as he is deeply involved with our highly active and competitively successful Youth plan at the studio. My parents likewise join the states, as they have fond memories of competing at Provo during their competitive careers, when the Professional Standard National Championships were held there in conjunction with the Amateur National Championships. My mom'south coordination skills, in detail, are
invaluable when corralling more than than a dozen couples and their families.

Yet, the workload in supporting all of these couples, acting as a go-betwixt from the couples to the competition, fixing problems, making certain the dancers are groomed properly, and beingness physically present when they dance, is considerable. For us, the coaches, National Championships represents 4 days of constant piece of work, stress, trouble-solving, and dedication to our couples on merely a few hours of sleep.

Knowing this, and being that I am currently pregnant, we as well recruited another staff member to join united states in Provo, specifically to solve pocket-size bug that tend to pop up and to have pictures and videos of students.

The Stirrings of Trouble

For the past six weeks, the specter of COVID-19 has loomed large. Being that our studio is based in the Seattle area, it was already a shock to learn that the first COVID-xix patient was in Seattle. Merely so the virus hit a retirement center. As instance afterwards case rolled into the news and the numbers began to climb, Seattleites got scared. Y'all could feel the fear in the air. Though for the virtually part students continued to come up in for their lessons and classes, the fear was tangible.

It wasn't until the week of the National Championships that the meridian blew off the metaphorical volcano. Four days before leaving for Provo, Simeon and I were in Las Vegas at another competition. The feeling at the competition was unsure. Some were taking it seriously, refusing to hug or buss in greeting (which is normal for ballroom dancers) and implementing Dr. Sanjay Gupta'southward elbow bump. And still others didn't even know the virus had landed on American soil.

Only on the return trip to Seattle, we heard the fatal words regarding the state of the Washington: Community SPREAD. SOCIAL DISTANCING. STATE OF EMERGENCY.

We immediately contacted our students to brainstorm analogous their responses for National
Championships. Merely the evidence was on our side. Immature people are resilient. No one was displaying symptoms. We were travelling to Utah, where in that location was only i known example. Our two Preteen couples, whose families had older grandparents at home, cancelled their trip; everyone else was prepared and gear up to become.

Arriving in Utah

Monday through Wednesday, we taught our normal schedules. For the three of us (Simeon, Atanas, and myself), our schedules had thus far suffered very trivial. Only nosotros could see problem brewing in the studio. The classes were small, but a scattering of students at most. Our social parties hardly crossed the x-person threshold for social gatherings. And the other teachers in our studio were suffering. 1 teacher, in particular, experienced a threescore% drop in private lessons.

Then while nosotros spent each lesson preparing our pupil for National Championships, every spare moment was used brainstorming ideas for our teachers, reading notices sent out past the Public Health Authorities for pocket-size businesses, and discussing what the next steps would be.

Only it's difficult to residuum all three demands on our time. When things get stressful, we accept a dominion we follow: break your problems into pieces, sort past timeframe, so set on. And what was the nearly urgent problem facing us? National Championships. So nosotros took a deep breath and said to ourselves, "Let's get through National Championships, get home on Dominicus, and reevaluate everything studio-related."

From the moment we landed in Common salt Lake Urban center on Midweek night, we were hitting with the realization that Fate would not allow the states to tackle i problem at a time. Ane of our students' mom decided upon landing in Salt Lake City that she was too frightened for her son to trip the light fantastic toe the competition. She informed her son'southward partner that on no uncertain terms, they were turning effectually and going home.

Past midnight that night, another couple cancelled. The competition started at eight:00am the adjacent morning. In that location was nix more to do. We set our alarms, turned off our phones, and went to slumber.

A Deluge of Bad News

We awoke early the side by side morning to a overflowing of notifications. From emails to text messages to phone calls, it was clear people were not going to requite us the space to make a at-home and thought-out decision. Half the people contacting usa were accusing us of endangering others' lives by not yet publicly cancelling group classes that were already a mere handful of students. The other half were accusing us of making "rash decisions" for even because giving into media-driven panic and endangering the teachers' livelihoods by taking away their source of income.

So we did the only thing we could. Nosotros shut off our phones, ignored the emails, and consulted the recommendations for small businesses as set along by Jay Inslee'southward website, the Washington State Public Health Authority, and the Metropolis of Redmond Public Health Authority. Atanas and our other staff member were already at the contest, supporting our early on morn competitors. Simeon picked upward breakfast for all of us, and armed with the information from officials that we needed, we headed to the contest to watch our students and let the data settle in our heads.

We had a break in the afternoon. By that fourth dimension, Simeon and I had fabricated upward our minds. We headed back to our business firm and sabbatum down at our computers in order to write the fatal email. Grouping classes and social parties would be cancelled indefinitely. Private lessons would need to be spread out across the day. Simeon and I would need to come up with a plan to be able to help our teachers go along some sort of an income trickling in. We made a list of announcements and their locations that needed to exist fabricated, and got to work.

When it was time to go back to the competition, we made a new plan. Simeon would stay behind at the house and continue to contact students and send out emails, while I would render to the contest to back up our evening couples with Atanas, who was already there.

Simeon dropped me off at the competition. Only as I was getting on the lift, I saw a lady property a sign in her hand. It read: "All Dancesport events are cancelled for Fri and Saturday." Immediately upon exiting the elevator, I was on the phone with Simeon.

"The contest is cancelled," I told him. "Y'all need to go on the phone with Alaska Airlines and rebook our flights."

Then I made my mode to the competition organizers. "I want to verify that this true before I start contacting students," I told them. "Is information technology true? Is the competition really cancelled?"

"Yeah," one of the organizers told me. "It's from the Governor of Utah. I'chiliad and then sorry, there is simply nothing nosotros can do. We are totally in uncharted waters here."

"It's ok," I told him. "Nosotros're all in the same boat. We're all but doing our best."

Some of our amazing students and instructors and the National Amateur DanceSport Championships in Provo, UT.

From Bad to Crazy

I was nearly to call Simeon once again when I got another pulled aside by a fellow Washingtonian.

"The Seattle Times just reported that Trump is considering quarantining the unabridged State of Washington. He wants to establish a travel ban in and out. We need to get habitation."

And then I went into high gear. Things were happening fast. I called Atanas and our other staff member over to a quieter corner told them the news. "The contest is cancelled from tomorrow. Basically, one time tonight ends, information technology's over. Also, and I tin't substantiate this, I just heard that there may be a travel ban surrounding Washington State. Given how quickly the situation is irresolute, and the fact that the competition is about over for all of us, we need to start contacting students and figuring out means to become people home."

Atanas and the other staff member were on board. They made a listing of people to contact, some of whom were on the plane, and divided to conquer. I got on the phone with Simeon to hash out options and called my parents, who were likewise in Utah. We had planned a massive studio dinner with all students and their families for that night. The dinner was off. My mom had the chore of cancelling the dinner.

By the fourth dimension I got off the telephone with Simeon, a new development had taken place. Some events that were originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday had so many couples already at that place in Provo that they decided to run those events. No schedule was made yet, merely all couples needed to exist gear up to dance by 9:30pm. Information technology was, at that point, five:00pm.

This announcement effected on of our Junior couples in particular. Atanas had merely spoken to the male child'due south mom an hour before to inform her about the event cancellation. The mom had rebooked the flight, returned through security, and was at the gate. Atanas called her back. I called the girl's mom. Then I called Simeon. Simeon called both moms. Logistics were figured out. Information technology was time to fly.

Meanwhile, we had four adult couples currently competing throughout all of this. We had to rest these phone calls with coaching them simultaneously.

Simeon picked me up at the competition and took me back to the house, and so left immediately for Common salt Lake Urban center Airport, about an 60 minutes drive due north. His task was to selection up the male child and his mom at the airdrome and deliver him to the contest venue with enough time for Atanas to prepare him to compete. The girl's family unit had only picked up their rental auto and was driving southward to Provo in order to meet me so I could go her ready.

While I waited, I ordered nutrient from UberEats and tried to use the 35 minutes of quiet fourth dimension to destress. Atanas was now focused on coaching. Simeon was driving to Salt Lake City while simultaneously working to rebook flights with Alaska Airlines. My mom decided to hold the dinner for anyone who wanted to join. Our other staff member was continuing to deed as the go-to person for smaller problems that needed to be solved (similar numbers that got ripped off, or costumes that needed to be pinned, or problems with couple registrations).

When the girl arrived, I once again shifted into high gear. I had most an hr to do her hair, makeup, and tanning. In all honesty, I have never worked then fast. About an hr later, we were back in the daughter's family's car and heading to the competition. I put her earrings and lipstick on in the car while simultaneously navigating for the girl's dad.

By the time we got to the competition and put her in her costume, the boy was dressed and ready to become. They had about twenty minutes to warm up earlier they were called out to compete.

A Long Twenty-four hour period Becomes Longer

The organizers of the contest were astonishing. They were faced with impossible decisions and the realization that, much like the deluge of negativity Simeon and I received in the morning regarding the studio, no thing what they decided to practice, people would react angrily and unfairly. And yet, they remained focused on the dancers. The inclusion of nine more than events all starting afterward nine:30pm meant that it would be tardily night for the organizers, the dancers, and the judges. Only information technology also meant giving those dancers who wanted to dance an opportunity to do what they loved most – dancing.

And everyone was on board. The parents were ecstatic. The kids were relieved across belief to dance. The judges, who were now asked to stay until however tardily they were needed and work overtime, all threw their shoulders back and got to piece of work. The organizers and competition staff stayed at-home, cool, and professional person beneath what must have been a waterfall of complaints, accusations, and negativity.

The events were not considered "National Championship" events, but the kids could compete. That's what it came down to for all of us.

Our Inferior couple finished their dancing at i:30am. As they were our terminal couple, and rest was my number one priority for me due to my pregnancy, we decided not to stay until the finish of the competition. Nosotros left and ordered a feast from a 24hr Mexican eating house, since I was the just i of the four of us (Simeon, myself, Atanas, and the other staff fellow member) who had actually wolfed down a salad in the early evening. At iii:00am, we literally complanate into bed.

How We Got Dwelling

Getting home was an effect for united states of america. Being that we all had private lessons who were cancelling, and that we had officially cancelled grouping classes and social dances earlier that day, we realized equally we ate our tardily night Mexican feast that we immediately needed to shift into austerity measures. Alaska Airlines waived all cancellation and change fees, but nosotros still needed to pay the difference in fares. This meant over $800 in departure in fare if we considered all four of us. Meanwhile, keeping our rental auto and driving dwelling to Seattle would simply toll the states $67 and 14 hours of our time.

A word ensued. At first we thought we would wake upwards early on the next morning and get an early start on the road to drive home. We all underestimated how wearied the stresses of Thursday had left us. The iv of us were up by 10 the next morning, subsequently than we wanted, and none of u.s.a. felt prepared to hit the route for 14 hours – at least half of which would be driven in the dark.

Our first idea was to residuum on Friday, go to bed early on Friday night, and first our long drive back at 4am on Sat morning. The other staff member with us made the determination to fly home that afternoon, agreeing to human foot the divergence in fare herself. We hopped in the car to drive her to the Salt Lake City airdrome. Simeon dropped me off at the Outlet Mall so I could finally buy some maternity apparel, which I had been putting off for a number of weeks.

By the fourth dimension Simeon picked me up at the Outlet Mall on his manner back from Salt Lake City, he and Atanas had come up upward with another programme. The drive from Provo to Las Vegas is only 6 hours. My parents ain a house there. A quick search of Alaska Airlines flights revealed very cheap flights from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sat, which meant that driving down to Las Vegas, getting adept sleep over night, eating a proper dinner and breakfast, and getting on the plane would put us back in Seattle in faster fourth dimension than hitting the road on Saturday morn.

We would take the added benefit of spending less time sitting and therefore keep our action levels a bit college, every bit well every bit actually eating proper meals. Simeon was nearly concerned about me spending and so many hours sitting stationary in the automobile and not being able to really sleep properly during that fourth dimension.

So, that'southward how nosotros found ourselves on the six-hour trek south to Las Vegas in order to go home to Seattle faster.

The Argent Lining

This was not how nosotros expected this year'south National Championships to ensue. But things happen that y'all often cannot command and sometimes you lot accept to go with the flow. There was, yet, a silver lining. National Championships was rescheduled for November! Information technology means couples were given a half dozen-calendar month extension on their Nationals training, with the hope of coming back meliorate and stronger in the autumn!

Of course, with this virus stalking us, there is no telling what will actually happen in the fall. We couldn't predict the iii-month quarantine that was to come up, effectively shutting down our studio and making it next to impossible for students to practice. And even so, despite the difficulties facing them, many students returned to the studio improved, in better shape, and having spent their time off well!

The truth of it is, sudden and unexplained situations similar this really expose the best and worst in us. Some of our students fabricated such skilful use of their time in quarantine, and those are the students who will come back to compete in the autumn And really, that is the best approach! When are you offered a three month respite from mad stresses of twenty-four hour period-to-day rushing around to be able to focus your attentions on things you really beloved? When are you given a 6-month extension on your Nationals training? This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand on your abilities and come up back bigger, meliorate, stronger!

What We Learned From This Feel

As seasoned travelers – indeed, crazy travelers – we are no strangers to long trips, insane situations, and Program Bs, Plan Cs, Plan Ds, then forth. Although I call up, given the logistics of managing and so many individual people and split up travel plans, this trip was past far the most complicated. Nosotros had dozens of different scenarios mapped out, all with their pros and cons, which changed almost on an hourly basis. And this included both the situation at the studio, every bit well as the state of affairs in Utah.

When it came to managing the potential cancellation of group classes and social dances at our studio, nosotros received so much negative criticism from "concerned individuals" contradicting each other as to what they thought was the all-time decision for united states to make that nosotros eventually had to only cutting out the noise. And as small business concern owners and employers, we are given information by the Public Wellness Dominance that is not freely distributed to other individuals.

In all honesty, we want to do what is all-time for our students. We desire to exercise what is best for our teachers. And we want to do what is best for our studio. No 1 out there has as much information near the private situation of our studio equally we do. The difficulty for us is balancing the needs of everyone involved in the studio against each and every conclusion and finding the best possible solution. In a fluid state of affairs such as this, Simeon and I reevaluate e'er decision we brand on a day to day basis.

When it came to managing the enforced cancellation of National Championships, the backlash confronting the organizers and the NDCA (our competitive dancing sanctioning body) was truly astounding and disheartening. For those of u.s. who were in that location, at the competition and experiencing it in real fourth dimension, the organizers made the best possible decisions with the knowledge and data they had on hand. Every official, every teacher, and every dancer behaved with a professionalism that displays the classiness and discipline of competitive ballroom dancers at their best.

The barrage of spite and abuse displayed on social media channels by people who were not physically there displayed the very worst of our industry. In reading people'due south "outrage" against the organizers and the NDCA, I was truly appalled by the amount of misinformation, abuse, and vitriol.

So what did nosotros learn from this situation? Stop judging people! There are so many layers to and then many situations that you do non understand. Indeed, y'all are not even enlightened these layers exist. And then when you make a judgment against someone with your piddly 10% of knowledge, you're non helping. You're just adding to the noise. And when the noise gets as well loud, making an informed decision becomes all the more difficult.

How COVID-19 Effects the Dance Industry

I'm going to be frank hither. Our business is built on the idea of community, of touch, of feel. Our industry's entire foundation is based on the concrete closeness of people. A viral outbreak that requires quarantining and social distancing is going to hurt. A lot.

We dancers need to stick together more at present than ever. We are all going to struggle. Many of usa will not survive (business speaking). This is not the time to stick fingers, spit, and abuse. What brought us together to brainstorm with was our passion and beloved of ballroom dancing. Our passion and love can keep us alive.

Support, support, support!

If you would like more than information about how COVID-19 is affecting our studio, please refer to our website or read our blog post, "Safely Returning to Dance in the Midst of a Pandemic".

Where To Make Hair And Makeup At Utah Nationals Ballroom,

Source: https://ariaballroom.com/when-covid-19-and-ballroom-dancing-collide/

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