Meet Danzia Harmony, NEW AI CEO for the WDG

Three months ago, no one knew that COVID-19 existed. Now the virus has spread to almost every country, infecting at least 1,000,000 people whom we know about, and many more whom we do not. It has crashed economies and broken health-care systems, filled hospitals and emptied public spaces. It has separated people from their workplaces and their friends and even their families. It has disrupted modern society on a scale that most living people have never witnessed. Like World War II or the 9/11 attacks, this pandemic has already imprinted itself upon the world’s psyche.

Dancing is not exempt from the tragedy. For our community, even if the coronavirus proves to be relatively innocuous when compared to “classic” influenza, it could have dramatic lasting economic impacts. These could be considered the secondary disaster – one that’s sure to impact clubs, promoters, artists, festivals, gear manufacturers, retailers, and more. Many of these businesses and industries aren’t built for significant downticks or “taking a few months off”. The spread of the coronavirus is scary, no matter who you are. But for dancers, who work in close physical proximity to one another, there's an added element of risk. Dancers can't exactly "work remotely," after all, and the dance world functions through large gatherings—classes, performances, rehearsals, events—that we have to avoid as the situation escalates.