Well, hello there forrozeiros!
How are you all doing?
The lockdown is finally lightening up - bit by bit. I'm excited to feel the world opening up again, and I'm sure you are too. Sadly, the new measures haven't yet brought any clarity on when forró classes will be able to resume. Given the high level of physical contact required, I unfortunately believe it will still be quite a while yet before class, parties and workshops will be able to take place in-person - here in Belgium at least, and probably in many other countries as well.
I've spoken to many of you who would like more movement, dance and connection in your daily lives now, not an undefined number of months in the future, but you're struggling to do so alone. Work commitments, distractions around the house, uncertainty about dancing alone, or incompatible schedules with your partner -- covid is making even this simplest of pleasures a little more complicated.
I'm also dying to get back to teaching: it's my full-time job, and absolutely fundamental to my happiness (I miss you guys!) and of course my financial security as well. And if we allow forró to go into "hibernation" for months, I'm also concerned about the potential negative impact that could have on the community aspect of forró that we all love. We have to take care of the forró scene now to make sure it is still there for us to come back to when the measures allow.
So I've spent the last few weeks working hard and imagining how we can stay connected and keep dancing in the current circumstances and whatever our personal situation looks like!
The results look something like this:
A mix of online live classes and video recordings
Solo options and options for couples
A discovery course for complete beginners (Introduce your housemates/family/kids to forró -> because you CAN hug people who live with!)
Cultural and musicality-focused offerings for those of you aren't feeling the dance vibe right now but want to stay connected to forró
Social opportunities to keep us connected as humans, not only as dancers
Some surprise bonuses here and there!
And as the government measures evolve, I'll keep you up to date and we'll discuss and adapt the programme to best fit the circumstances of everyone registered, whether in Brussels or not!
As you can imagine, there is a lot of work behind this so I'm rolling out the details bit by bit. I'll share updates here when each new section is ready.
In the meantime, you can already take a look at the details of the online solo classes which start today (Monday 18th May!), check out the teaser images for what else is soon to come, and follow me on Instagram and Facebook (or, of course, on this blog!) to learn about a new song every Monday as part of the Letras do Forró project :-D
The forró must go on! And you are a crucial part of that <3
Miss you all,
Sarah