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Salsa students wear face masks when dancing close together at Javed Rasool’s dance school in Hong Kong. Photo: Albert Han

Coronavirus pandemic: dance instructors take steps to survive while keeping students safe

  • Teachers of Latin dance, known for its close physical contact between partners, are trying to keep their businesses going during the coronavirus pandemic
  • Temperature checks, masks, hand sanitiser and vigilance are key, but financial help is much needed, too

When it comes to salsa dancing, social distancing is not an option. That’s why Javed Rasool, a Latin dance teacher in Hong Kong, has lately asked his students to wear surgical masks during classes. The virus-fighting measures don’t stop there: plenty of hand sanitiser is available at his Sheung Wan studio, Dance With Style.

These days, Rasool says, he is doing everything he can to get people to come out for his weekly salsa and bachata lessons.

“Life had been comfortable until the protests and the coronavirus,” says the Hong Kong resident of almost 20 years, referring to the months-long anti-government movement in the city. “But this virus has totally killed [business] off.”

Rasool is one of dozens of instructors and dance studios that have seen a tremendous downturn in Hong Kong asCovid-19 coronavirus has evolved into a global pandemic. From restaurants and bars to hotels and events, the city’s culture and leisure sector has been particularly hard hit, as tourist numbers fall and residents increasingly stay home.
Javed Rasool, 48, has been teaching salsa in Hong Kong since 2007. Photo: Albert Han

Dance instructors point out that their studios – particularly ones that host partner dances such as salsa and tango – are especially vulnerable. Students are wary that Latin dances, which often call for close embraces and hand-holding with complete strangers, could cause transmission of the coronavirus.

“There’s a social element in our business, and with the coronavirus, everyone is worried about getting infected,” says Herman Lam Hung-sing, owner of an eponymous dance studio in Hong Kong’s Central district.

Face masks are encouraged but not required by Rasool, but students say they feel safer wearing them. Photo: Albert Han
Lam has taught cha-cha, a dance of Cuban origin, for more than 20 years, even during the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars). Now, only a third of his students are attending classes, and he has asked his landlord for a rent reduction for the next two months. “You feel inadequate to even provide your own living,” he says.

For Connie Hong, director of Amico Studio, the outbreak has meant her Wan Chai operation has been shut since the Lunar New Year at the end of January. Attendance had already been declining since last June, when social unrest broke out, but Hong had hoped business would pick back up in the new year. “I thought things would get better,” she says. “I wanted to resume classes, but another crisis came.”

All of her instructors have left – she had as many as 30 until last November – she says, and while some of her individual classes, such as yoga, can be taught through video chat, most have had to stop.

Sherman Chow, a professional dancer and teacher, says one-third of her students have stopped coming since the coronavirus began. Photo: Albert Han
The Hong Kong government called for relief measures for small businesses, including fully guaranteed loans, in its latest budget proposal last month. Yet some say more immediate relief is necessary, such as freezing mortgages or helping with rent payments. “We should be taking a break from debts for a couple of months,” says Alex Amoroso, director of Dancetrinity in Sheung Wan.

Sherman Chow of DanceMos in Wan Chai, now takes the temperature of each student entering the studio, and all attendees have to wear masks. “Our feeling is that we have to be extra cautious, because we’re putting people in danger,” says Chow, who offers classes in salsa and bachata.

Attendance has declined by about half since the virus outbreak began, she says, adding that many expat students fled the city in recent weeks. The studio does not take walk-in clients, Chow adds, and she stays in regular contact with students regarding their travel histories, or if they feel unwell. “It’s a small community and students know each other very well.”

Hand sanitiser is available for sale at Rasool’s dance studio, but students often bring their own. Photo: Albert Han

At Dance With Style, which saw no new students in the first two months of the year, some were brave enough to sign up for a beginner’s salsa class starting in March. For just over an hour on a recent Saturday evening, six students practised individual footwork in front of a large mirror, then coupled up for the hit song Senorita, changing partners every minute after giving each other high-fives. All wore masks, and as soon as the class finished, a bottle of hand sanitiser was passed around.

“Life has been quiet, and the atmosphere has been intense,” says dance student Emma Bray, an early childhood teacher from South Africa who arrived in Hong Kong last year. “I try not to let that get in the way,” she adds.

Some students say they are still getting used to dancing with face masks on. Rasool, the dance teacher, insists the wearing of them is not mandatory but is encouraged.

“It’s not usual,” says Isaac Lo, a 25-year-old engineer who just finished his second salsa class. “It’s a bit challenging, and as an exercise I have trouble breathing,” he says. Lo adds quickly: “I wouldn’t feel comfortable without a mask.”

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