During our Spring Break on March 9th, Juilliard students received incredibly shocking news. For the rest of our spring semester, classes will be taking place remotely due to the coronavirus. Any performances, activities, or in person classes are all cancelled. This news has many implications for all of us, but, for the seniors, the consequences are specific to this being our last year attending Juilliard. I think it safe to say, it especially hit the senior dance class hard.
This news means that our last Spring Dances concert will be cancelled. We had spent the better half of second semester working on this performance, rehearsing 3 hours every day Monday through Friday. Our Senior Production is cancelled, which we have worked tirelessly to raise money for, choreograph for, and dance for. Our Senior Showcase performance is cancelled, where each senior performs a solo of their choice, working with the stagers and/or choreographers in different states and countries. Not only that, but losing two whole months of precious time together— when as seniors, we only had a few precious moments of everyone being in the same place at the same time— is heartbreaking to me. It feels as though three and a half years of hard work, dedication, and passion were ripped away from us in a matter of moments.
We received an email from Juilliard sealing our fate as the class of 2020. Gone will be the opportunities to showcase our work, to recognize us as the mature artists we have become. All of these opportunities to say goodbye to our beautiful, complex, and transformative four years simply vanished. This has left us with a feeling of devastation. I still haven’t even fully processed it. It’s still very painful. In addition, the mass panic and media extortion that has resulted from COVID-19 has left us, along with everyone, with a sense of helplessness and confusion. No one really seems to know what is going on. Most of us don’t know what to think of the rapidly changing events. In a world that is already a lot to handle, the coronavirus makes everything that much more difficult.
Throughout my four years at Juilliard, I have always found that I can rely upon my classmates when it comes to tough times. Our time together has created a bond that is truly like no other. The class of 2020 has experienced every emotion on the spectrum together: joy, sorrow, disappointment, resistance, unity, clarity, confusion, success, and triumph. Just like every family, we go through our ups and downs together. The good times have brought us together and I would argue that the bad times have brought us even closer. When we received the email from President Damian Woetzel about the coronavirus and the school’s response, the class of 2020’s facebook group chat immediately started a group video chat. When I entered the video call, six of my classmates were already connected and more people kept connecting every few seconds. Even after receiving life changing news, knowing that my support system was there for me and for each other within moments left me with a feeling of great calm. Even though we were all in different states, countries and time zones when the email was received, we were still there for each other in less than a heartbeat. We all comforted each other with jokes, facts, and a spirit of reassurance. Being able to respond to any situation with a good sense of humor has always been 2020’s strength, and we did not disappoint this time around. Our connection in light of the situation is the only story I need to tell to convey how much of a family we are. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, confused, exhausted, upset, angry, or sad, I know that my classmates and best friends will always be there to catch me when I fall— and even make me laugh in the process.
Although the coronavirus leaves me feeling lost, I know that my people will help me get through it, even though we are not physically able to be together. And I know that when there are any bumps in the road that may come in the future, after we have all graduated and chosen our own paths to follow, I will still have that support system ready for me with open arms. We are not just the Juilliard Dance class of 2020; we are a family of lifelong friends. I know they will always be the buoy to grasp onto when the seas turn stormy. We will laugh and reminisce about it later when we are sitting on the sand, enjoying the sunshine.