Dancers continue despite the pandemic (includes video story)

The tale of the closed small business is no longer news, though the coronavirus continues to spread. You would be hard-pressed to find an enterprise with more physical contact than a dance studio. But South Florida dancers continue pursuing their passions despite the challenges in new, innovative ways.

Nonstop Dance Studio owner JC Sayu describes his experience as “a hard battle worth fighting.” After being forced to close studio doors back in March, Sayu took a second job in a car dealership to cover the overhead that come with owning a small business. The studio was able to reopen Aug. 24. “Now that we are back up and running, we strictly enforce all governed CDC guidelines to keep our dancers safe and healthy,” Sayu said.

While Nonstop was able to weather the storm of COVID-19, U4ria Dance Studio was unable to keep its doors open. After U4ria closed in June, dance instructor Raymond Moore has had to reinvent his teaching styles to continue his passion for the art form. Moore now holds classes online and teaches his students outdoors.

“As a self-taught dancer, the majority of my young career was spent dancing mirrorless and sometimes outside,” explains Moore. “This experience has helped bring us back to our roots as dancers and has inspired me to instill these values into my students.”

“Thank God we have dancing to serve as a stress release as we all push through these hard times,” said Nonstop student Thomas Ghorrio.

Nonstop Dance Company is located 480 NW. 69th Ave. Margate FL 33063. It is open daily Monday to Friday from 11AM to 9:30PM. Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The phone number is  (954) 274-4756

U4ria Dance Studio has transitioned to online courses. It is open Monday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The phone number is (954) 575-7704.

Gretell Sanchez Perez is a senior student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in broadcast media and minor in e-marketing and social media. She is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and the communication coordinator at the National Association of Journalists. Sanchez hopes to pursue her master’s degree in spanish language journalism and become a reporter/anchor in Miami.