Dance, along with other performing arts, has undergone many setbacks due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Moorpark College’s dance department’s Fall Dance Concert will not be held this semester, forcing the department to create new performance opportunities for the students, all while retaining the social distance requirements. This new force of online learning brought about the Dance for Camera project.

The Artistic Co-Director and Dance Faculty, Beth Megill, created the Dance For Camera project alongside her fellow Dance Faculty Nancy Paradis. The project was created to replace the main student showcase for the Fall semester.

According to Megill, “We devised the Dance for Camera Project to offer students a unique learning experience that will not only get them performing this semester, but learning key skills about learning dance remotely, performing for a camera and editing together a final dance product to be shared.”

The dancers participating in the Dance For Camera project had to keep themselves motivated and reliant in self-direction. The dancers learned how to keep their focus on themselves in making the most of their training.

“The footage for many of the pieces had to be self captured. Meaning the students had to set up and film themselves. They had to learn the dance, get their costumes, organize their location and perform,” Megill claimed.

All students interested were allowed to participate in the Dance For Camera project. All levels of dancers were welcomed and all interested were allowed a chance at student choreography.

The project is in replacement of the Fall Dance Concert, but there will also be other virtual performance opportunities for the other dance classes.

“We will also have some smaller zoom showings for other classes such as improvisation and choreography. These will be “live” in real time and use the Zoom technology to share the dance experience,” Megill explained.

The Dance For Camera project will be live streamed on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. with a Q&A following the performances.