Performing with Technology: the Arts during COVID-19

By Elizabeth G. '21

We have lost numerous events this year due to COVID-19, and the performing arts is no exception to this loss. In the face of these disappointing and unexpected losses, the Bryn Mawr art department has worked tirelessly to transition these invaluable experiences into a virtual format. This month, Bryn Mawr’s first ever virtual Musical and Dance Company shows were released to the student body. The shift to virtual performing arts has had a lasting impact on the Bryn Mawr community and the performing arts community as a whole that can be seen economically and through social media consumption. 

There was a tangible difference in the audience’s and performer’s experience in a virtual format. In a recent interview, Sydney L. ’21 stated that “it was harder to give [the performance] my all because I draw most of my energy from other dancers to connect with each other.” The act of dancing alone at home strips the experience of performing, through dance or otherwise, of its ability to connect people without the act of talking. Dance is a form of communication. While these dancers are connected through synchronized movement, the connection curated on stage is truly unique and specific to an in-person experience.

“Performing at home brought on new challenges”, Anna B. ’21 added, such as “lighting, camera placement, and internet connection that never had to be considered before.” The performers had to play many new roles, including stage director and videographer, all while trying to put on a show in their bedrooms and basements. 

Some of the more fun aspects of performing, such as the late nights in the auditorium during tech weeks, and the plethora of snacks and team building that can only occur backstage, vanished. While some things can be recreated in a virtual environment, the performing arts remain irreplaceable.

While the tragedies of losing high school dance company shows and musicals plague the mind of many artistically inclined teenagers, the performing arts professional industry has suffered tremendously more. Economically, according to Brookings-- a non-profit public policy organization-- the “estimated losses [in the fine and performing arts industry] represent 50% of all jobs in those industries and more than a quarter of all lost sales nationwide.” Ultimately, performance arts jobs are rooted in connection. In a COVID-19 environment, people are not comfortable risking possible exposure in order to see a show. The connection between audience and performer, and even the connection between cast members, was disrupted in our new setting. This has translated into an economic loss that has crippled the performing arts industry, and, consequently, performers.

Furthermore, our consumption of content has shifted in quarantine. With the rise of TikTok, creators are encouraged to value quantity over quality. Being at home in quarantine, people spend a surplus of time on our phones is inevitable. While the performing arts industry suffered devastating losses, social media sites like TikTok grew more popular. This shift in media consumption reveals that social media is a more reliable form of entertainment. It is easy to share, easy to partake in, and most importantly, it does not risk possible exposure. With this shift in favoring a never ending stream of content, society has slowly communicated that it no longer values the introspective, reflective content that the performing arts embodies. Instead, people engage in a platform that promotes overconsumption of media in an oversaturated pool, and quick, attention grabbing humor over lengthy stories with morals and lessons. This is not to say that TikTok is bad or that consuming mindless content makes one a bad person. It is perfectly normal and healthy to enjoy apps like TikTok. However, the way in which we consume content is reflected in TikTok’s algorithm and success. TikTok values quantity and watch time. These two things focus on a viewer's attention as a commodity. Often, this leads to oversimplifications of complex topics as to fit that topic into a one minute clip, promotion of false information, or just the encouragement and overconsumption of insubstantial content. Because of this overconsumption, the performing arts will suffer and have suffered from our insatiable need to be entertained as often as possible.

Ultimately, this is everyone’s reminder to watch the Musical and the Dance Company show because performing arts matter. Without them, we will lose stories. Our complex morals and history will be drained into 15 seconds of consumable content. And, most of all, we lose a connection with each other-- whether that be between the audience and the performers or the connection between the cast members. Dance Company members and the Musical cast worked tirelessly for months and spent hours after school on Zoom because they refuse to lose more than what they’ve already lost this year. Anna B. ’21 explained that despite the difficulties, “it [was] all worth it to see everyone dancing together to form a wild, messy, and chaotic final piece.” There was no dance circle with pre-opening night rituals, but there were group chats, and breakout rooms with hilarious conversations, and most of all, frantic Facetimes five minutes before recording to go over choreography. While the performances may not be the same, the resilient efforts in which our community’s artists committed towards performing are admirable.