Dance During Quarantine

By Valley Doll Team

With 27 dancers in 4 different countries during the 2020 pandemic, Jessie Davis creates a community of creatives looking for an outlet in her ‘Quarantined, So we dance’ digital performance.

With the intention of highlighting different performance while remaining socially distanct, Jessie Davis produces a cinematic dance experience. We have watched and rewatched this piece endless times, as each viewing we notice a unique new flavor each dancer adds to the experience. While highlighting the isolation many of us feel during this pandemic, dance during quarantine emphasizes that creation of connection remained possible, bringing new players into the mix, from areas of the globe.

We had a chance to interview Jessie Davis on this stunning piece and get the details on creating a socially distance collaboration.

Your ‘Quarantined, So We Dance’ is an absolutely stunning piece of work and an innovative approach to the socially distanced dance performance. What initially sparked your idea to create this collaborative project?

Thank you! I lost my job at a post-production house in March, just as the pandemic first hit. Suddenly, I found myself with endless time on my hands. But nowhere to go and no one to see due to lockdown. I started seeing some of my dancer friends post videos of themselves improvising in their homes and it sparked joy to know that artists were still performing and creating during this time of uncertainty. The solitude of being alone + the connectedness of social media initially gave me the idea to create a collaborative dance film, highlighting dancers and the spaces they were stuck in during lockdown.

Was it difficult at first to adapt to dancing independently from home?

This is an interesting question. I grew up dancing, danced in college, and continue to dance for myself and my sanity. That said, I do not consider myself a professional dancer, and haven't taken class since last summer! So I guess I'll rephrase your question if that's okay? :)
Adapting to being alone, to being confined to one space, to not having active projects at my 9-6 job was tough. As I'm sure it was for everyone. I knew that my impending absence of purpose was looming. I hate not being busy. So a project like this was exactly what my neurotic, non-stop brain needed. A project that would not only keep my days filled, but also keep me connected to others, and allow me to connect artists with each other.

Despite isolation, the piece remains cohesive. Was it primarily choreographed or did you give each dancer the freedom to improvise?

I knew I wanted to create a collaborative and cohesive piece, but I also wanted to highlight the uniqueness of each dancers' situation and mental space. When I initially reached out to dancers, the direction I gave them was pretty straightforward - I asked them to film themselves improvising landscape-style with their iphone to a specific song. Myself along with my creative producers created a few improv prompts to guide their movement. We asked them to use their specific space as a catalyst for their movement, we asked them to think about the ideas of restlessness, connection, and monotony. I received a ton of incredible footage of people from all over the world improvising in their space and so the first batch of production was done. The next batch was set choreography. My two creative producers- Caileigh Knapp and Patrick Needham created two beautiful choreographic phrases that they then recorded and sent out to the dancers. The dancers then learned those phrases and filmed themselves in their spaces carrying out that movement. I felt it was crucial to show the dancers connectedness and collaboration, despite being isolated and in different parts of the world. So the answer to your question is: both. And I think having both elements really brought the piece together.

Did you personally know every dancer involved in this project?

I didn't! Many of the dancers are friends from high school and college. But I also asked a few people to invite more dancers to the project, many of whom I never and have still never met. It was SO cool to make new friends and create a new community of people who were all down to be a part of this project where the only real objective was to make a piece of art that could be shared.

Aside from this project, did you continue to take dance classes virtually? How did you and your community continue training while maintaining self-care?

Again, I don't think this question really pertains to me :) I am not a trained dancer who takes class every day.

Some other interesting pieces of info you would like to share?

I had never edited in a split-screen, video wall format before. Which as you can see, is a big part of the piece. In a way, I kind of learned as I was doing! Split-screen editing is now such a crucial aspect of making new content while maintaining social distancing. I'm so glad I have that in my skill set now!
There are dancers from four different countries included in the video! America, Germany, Israel, and Mexico!
I struggled with a choice of song for a LONG time- but ultimately knew I couldn't dwell on it too long because a music choice was imperative to start getting footage back from dancers. I ended up with Show Me by Big Wild. I felt this choice was fitting- it felt emotional but not too sad, still inspiring, and hopeful. Big Wild actually shared the final piece on their IG page which was pretty cool!
Finishing the project initially made me feel SO happy and the reception from viewers and from the dancers involved was truly rewarding. But after the initial buzz wore off, I felt sort of melancholy and sad. My one big project was done. My days suddenly weren't filled with editing and collecting footage. That said, I was incredibly lucky to start a new full-time position at a production company shortly after. And I was incredibly lucky with how giving and thoughtful the dancers involved were to allow me to create such a special piece that will always highlight this insane time in history.