Brittany StoneOn Friday,March 13th, I walked into the Washington Ballet building for a seemingly normal day. We had been working extremely tough to prepare for a new production of Swan Lake. After morning class, and our rehearsal schedule was changed suddenly and dramatically,with a full run-through of the production added that afternoon. This would be explained in a company assembly to follow: ”nowadays will be the last day in the studios for the foreseeable future.“COVID-19 has profoundly impacted arts organizations around the world. For me and people like me whose lives are approximately the performing arts, the effects of this pandemic are far-reaching and ongoing. For example, or many people in our company have left their domestic countries to dance here with us,and now are unable to return domestic to be with their loved ones.
It has been difficult to organize my thoughts and emotions lately, and a tough six weeks trying to adjust to “the new normal.” Most days I try not to believe approximately it. If I execute, and it seems like I feel differently every other hour of the day. I narrate myself it’s okay to feel lost,to grieve. It’s okay to not be okay. I have wished a thousand times to relive that last day in the studio. Dance is our expression, our light, and our passion. In service to our art form,we are staying alert. Taking ballet classes in our kitchens, living rooms, or 400 square foot apartments,garages and gardens in the hope that we may continue to spread joy—a necessity now, and once the dust settles.
And the dust will settle. Someday it must, or we will be alert to shine forth when it does. But for that day to come,we need your help. Please consider donating to The Washington Ballet’s "Stronger Than Ever” campaign. - Brittany Stone ballerina with the Washington Ballet. Washington Ballet’s “Stronger Than Ever” campaign:https://www.washingtonballet.org/stronger-than-ever-campaign/
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