Advice on the Coronavirus for Dancers from John Hopkins Staff
/
Dr. Dorry Segev is a well-known lindy hop teacher, performer and organizer from Baltimore who also happens to work at John Hopkins as a surgeon and the associate vice chair for research. Yesterday, he convened a discussion with Robin and Bill, two other John Hopkins medical professionals, on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, specifically as it pertains to the dance community.
We encourage you to watch the full video below. If you would like to skip ahead to the most relevant part for dancers and dance organizers and teachers, cue forward to the 45:29 mark. There’s lots more important background information on the virus, how it’s spread, and strategies to prevent it in the rest of the video, so don’t miss that!
The TLDR version for dancers, as far as we understood from the experts is this:
A dance class or session conducted outdoors, with everyone doing solo jazz or other non-partnered movement, where everyone maintained at least 6 feet of social distance and was masked, would pose a minimal level of risk to everyone involved.
The next level of moderate risk would be a class or a dance where people only switched partners with a small subset of people (I.e. their “quarantine pod”), and practiced good social distancing protocols like frequent handwashing, masks, and not congregating anywhere in the space or near the space.
The highest level of risk would be an event with several hundred of a thousand participants, where people frequently switched partners, in an enclosed space with poor ventilation.
They cautioned that these recommendations are very much based on current understanding of the virus and how it works in the world, and might change as research continues.
Thanks to Robin, Bill and Dorry for lending us your expertise at such a critical time, particularly in the US where many states are poised to re-open many or all businesses.
We will update this post with more information and links as they become available.
Stay safe, everyone!
UPDATE 6/15: The San Francisco Chronicle polled several medical experts on the riskiness of various activities. Dancing outdoors was in the “moderate” category.
Whether you’re dancing, roller-skating or strength training with others in Golden Gate Park — or even grooving with neighbors at a porch concert down the block — physical exercise can induce heavy breathing, which is likely to increase the release of respiratory droplets. As most people do not wear masks while doing cardio work, physical distancing is crucial to lowering the risk of transmission. Experts suggest doubling the recommended 6-foot radius.
