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If you have been down to Willows Beach recently you might have seen it, a small socially distanced group of dancers wearing headphones.
What you might not know is the story behind it.
Mary Lloyd is a lifelong dancer and was looking to start teaching her own classes. The only problem was COVID.
“I was in a start-up program for self-employment and I was going to do creative dance in schools and then in the midst of the program COVID came,” says Lloyd.
“So I decided to buy the headsets and the rest is history,” adds Lloyd.
Capitalizing on the silent disco craze Lloyd streams music through Bluetooth headphones, allowing participants to spread out across outdoor venues.
“They have over 300 metres range and we have a really strict COVID safety plan which we’ve updated throughout the times when we’ve needed to,” says Lloyd.
While dancers are in the zone listening to pulsating tracks, from the outside things can look a little strange.
“It does look a bit crazy, Nietzsche has a quote about that, the people that didn’t hear the music thought the other ones were crazy,” smiles Lloyd.
For those dancing it’s a chance to let loose and shed some pandemic blues.
“I need to move my body and I love music and I’m a photographer for musicians and it’s just where I live,” says regular Johanna Vanderpol.
“I like kind of finding my limits and then learning how to just stay in the flow state,” says Sage Friele.
For Lloyd, it’s all about making everyone feel a part of the group.
“It’s super important to me that people feel safe coming here and welcomed,” says Lloyd.
To learn more about Lloyd’s classes, visit her website.
Cole Sorenson
