When we closed the doors at ABT on March 13, 2020 none of us knew what was coming. I assisted my last in-studio class that Friday with the intention of returning to the studio in two short weeks once COVID-19 had blown over. Well, I don’t have to tell you this, but I was sorely mistaken.
As a JKO Studio Intern much of my internship consisted of in-studio class assisting hours. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of my internship as I had the privilege of assisting many of the amazing JKO faculty members. Learning from them in the studio week after week and helping advance the technical level of the JKO students was a remarkable experience.
When it became apparent that we would no longer be able to have in-studio classes, the JKO School moved entirely to online learning via the Zoom platform. As an intern it then became my duty to oversee the Zoom classes, answering student questions, and assisting the instructors in any way possible. For many of these classes I would meet with the instructor a few minutes before class began, catching up and planning our strategies to keep the students engaged. Disabling screen sharing was quite helpful for the younger levels as students in our Primary classes really wanted to show the class their desktops (haha!).
Facilitating Zoom learning was quite an adventure, I met many household pets, witnessed a few sibling quarrels, and saw ballet from every camera angle possible. Despite all of this, the students and teachers in the JKO School didn’t miss a beat. I saw in real-time the versatility of the ABT National Training Curriculum as it was adapted by each instructor for at-home learning. Our students in the JKO School continued to receive world class ballet instruction from their living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and foyers.
Moving to Zoom was an unanticipated challenge this semester but it was met with some of the most qualified and hard-working people I have ever met. I am so proud to have been part of this experience and I am even more proud of the students in the JKO school for meeting this challenge and overcoming it. I wish all of the students I assisted the utmost success in their ballet journey. Keep dancing, keep smiling, keep Zooming.
Tymothy Jaddock
JKO Studio Intern
Spring 2020
Flavio Salazar and I meeting before a Level 1 class to discuss specifics
abtinterns 
Leave a Reply