UNB Reds Dance Team affected by the COVID19 pandemic
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Reds Dance team had to cancel all in-person auditions, rehearsals and even competitions.
The UNB Reds Dance Team is made up of students from The University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University. Every year, students who want to join the team need to go through in-person auditions, in addition to having a good level of dance experience.
However, this year things were different since all the new students had to record themselves and submit their audition videos.
“It was really difficult for us to get a broad idea of a dancer’s ability,” said Emily St. Nicolaas, a fourth-year student at UNB majoring in psychology. “We had quite a few more auditions that we thought we would get, but we are ready to see everybody in person.”
St. Nicolaas is the UNB Reds Dance Team Director for the 2020 – 2021 dance season. She is beyond excited to see how it works with everyone together back again at the studio.
“When you have them in person, it’s a lot easier to judge and to see technique,” said St. Nicolaas.
However, even with all the precautions they plan on taking, such as floor marking, hand sanitizers everywhere and the use of masks in a limited space for students, the team still hasn’t being able to get the “go ahead, start” yet.
UNB has to approve all the ideas the team has been presenting in order to give them the green light to get together and start their rehearsals. However, this is a slow process.
“We have not been able to put anything into action yet, but hopefully, we will start soon,” said St. Nicolaas.
And not only auditions were affected, but also rehearsals, meetings and even competitions.
Every year, the Reds Dance Team holds the Atlantic Collegiate Dance Competition (ACDC) for different teams in the region. This competition usually takes place on UNB Fredericton’s campus in February. But this year, the ACDC was cancelled because UNB did not allow the team to bring other teams from different provin
ces because of the pandemic.
“It is kind of sad that we won’t be able to host the competition this year,” said team member Nicholas Turgeon. “It would have been great if we could, maybe a later time but it just seems really difficult. We never know what is going to change.”
Turgeon is passionate about the team and feels extremely bumped out because everything is not moving as he anticipated it should have been moving.
“I would have like to meet the new members, and also learning the dances. Especially me because I am choreographing Hip Hop,” said Turgeon. “I missed teaching other people Hip Hop.”
Turgeon really hopes that all the precautions the team is planning will get accepted by the university and they would be able to start dancing by January, in addition to participating in different competitions.
“If we are not able to get together and start dancing by winter, it would have to be September,” said Turgeon. “It is unfortunate because it is a really long time without dancing as a group, but at least all the new members that have joined this year won’t have to reaudition.”
Despite all the difficulties the team has to endure, their passion for dancing will never fade. On the contrary, this experience will help them to grow and become stronger for the future.
“I am super ready to get back into the studio. I have been pretty sad, and I even shot a few tears over not being able to start yet,” said St. Nicolaas, “but hopefully things will get back to normal and, when that happens, we will be ready to rehearse with lots of energy.”
