HELENA -- A little over a year ago, Queen City Ballet was getting ready to open their Alice In Wonderland show, and now, everybody is at home waiting to get back into the studio.
For the time being, Queen City Ballet owner Campbell Midgely and her staff are teaching their student's via Zoom, but she said it's a hard reality to face.
"These are my children. I have one child, but they're all my children," said Campbell with a chuckle. "It's kind of an empty nest feeling."
Queen City Ballet moved their classes online to meet social distancing requirement and Midgely, said the biggest adjustment for her is the lack of socialization with her students.
“Particularly for the levels that I teach, the studios are stuck at home. There's a lot of socialization at the studio, and now that's lacking, “ said Midgely
Rebecca Rohrer, an instructor who mainly teaches the younger kids in the Queen City Ballet studio, said moving from in person classes to virtual ones has been difficult, but knowing she’ll get to see her students is one of the bright spots of her day.
“At the end of the class, I always give them a virtual hug, and we do our reverence our curtsies at the end of class," said Rohrer. "Knowing I have class tomorrow morning, I am going to see this group of students and I can give them a hug. So that's how I work through that mentally.”
And as many search for a way to get through this pandemic, Sasha Shkurigan said the bit of normalcy that having the lessons brings is an added benefit.
“Queen City is really great because they are providing these virtual classes where you can still, you know, talk to your friends and learn through a different kind of platform, but still have that opportunity to keep that normalcy.”
