As the world continues to adjust to the restrictions fo the pandemic, a great opportunity has developed in the form of Digital Dance Events.
In this article, we'll explore some of the benefits of these events and how they can enhance your dance hobby, but first, let's quickly define what a Digital Dance Event is.
What is a Digital Dance Event?
A Digital Dance Event is the digital equivalent of a live, in-person competition, showcase, recital, or dance graduation. Since the spring of 2020, Arthur Murray Dance Studios around the world have repurposed in person events and created entire new ones to give dancers an opportunity to continue to perform, graduate, or celebrate milestones.
But before you decide for yourself, here are some benefits to consider.
The Benefits of a Digital Dance Event
The logistics of travel can make dance events a toss up, even before Covid. A Digital Dance Event cuts commute time down to how long it takes to get from your snacks to your connected device.
Having a family member, friend, or co-worker attend one of your dance events may have been a big request in the past, but not anymore. A digital event like our Digital Solo Showcase turns your dance performance into a shareable social media post, making it easy for family, friends, and co-workers to enjoy your dance improvement.
In person events like an Extravaganza can be limited in terms of costumes, graphics, and camera angles. With a digital dance event, the only limitation is your imagination (and the editing timeframe your teacher has).
This has helped to create some wonderful dance moments that may not have been fully realized in a studio or on a stage.
Digital events need to keep the attention of the audience, which is why the Arthur Murray Live team began including Executive Sketches into many of the digital events. Whether it's makeup tips, showcase tips, or really spicy chicken wings - the format allows you to have a well rounded entertainment experience.
With in person events like the District Showcase and Medal Ball back in action, our digital events haven't stopped. In fact, they serve as great short to medium type goals that can be a catalyst to help you reach the next milestone in a project in between some of the bigger ones.
Often times, if you're participating at an in person event, you're consumed with your own performance and can easily miss out on the backstory or performance of the other performers. With a digital event, your pre-recorded performance is done in advance, which leaves your brain free and clear to see the entire show, stress free, from the comforts of your living room.
One of the hidden benefits that we never considered in this unexpected journey into digital events is the chatroom! While it would be impolite to socialize during an in person solo routine performance, the chatroom on a digital dance event is buzzing with encouragement, great feedback, and plenty of laughs.
Not to mention, many of the staff participate in the conversation adding a great element of camaraderie that's unique to this type of event. Even better, on our streaming platform Crowdcast, the comments stay live even when you're watching a replay. This means any comments of support can be read far afterwards.
It's easy to put choices into a "this or that" position. For example, "I only do in person events" or "I'm just going to wait until all this pandemic stuff is over to participate." Instead, why not look at it with a "this and that" perspective?
We love in person events. We missed them dearly during the lockdown and they felt just outside our grasp as we managed through the pandemic. At the time, that was our preferred choice because it was our only choice. That is, until we began doing digital events.
Even though we have returned to in person events, we've chosen to take a "this and that" approach moving forward. We love in person events, but we also love the creativity and entertainment value of our digital events too. We aren't asking you to choose one or the other, but hopefully, you can see the value in both.
Check out our most recent event, The Summer Blockbuster, to get an idea of what this is all about.