How do we dance online

During the lockdown periods of 2020 & 2021, I introduced online dancing in order to keep in touch with my dancers and to give you a place to dance which, although not as good as a live class, was better than nothing. Although I was extremely sad to not be able to meet up with my fellow  dancers and dance together in some beautiful locations, I was determined that we must carry on dancing for our fitness, our happiness and to keep us in contact with like-minded people.

There is a tool called Zoom which was designed originally to allow people to attend meetings from the comfort of their own home. This has been adapted by a lot of teachers so that instead of sitting in a virtual meeting, we are all dancing together from the comfort and safety of our own homes. I have tested Zoom to see if it is fit for the purpose of Earthdance and, after a few hiccups, it has worked very well. We have now improved the quality by using professional audio mixing and a good quality webcam.

Although we can now dance together in class, online dancing has become invaluable for those who no longer wish to return to a class setting, those who live too far away from a class and those who just enjoy not having to leave the house to dance.

To use Zoom, you will need:

That's it! You don't need to register with Zoom nor do you need to sign in.

Most tablets, smartphones and laptops have built in cameras and speakers so you're good to go. If you have a desktop PC, you may need a separate web cam and speakers. The web cam is not necessary but speakers are.

I will set up a meeting using Zoom and post the meeting ID (a code you need to join me online) on my website. This can be accessed by you after you have booked. You can book a class by clicking the class you want to attend from the menu at the top of the page. Full details of how to book will be given when you choose a class.

A few minutes before the start time of the class, open the Zoom app/program and click JOIN A MEETING. Enter the Meeting ID and your name and click JOIN. You're almost there. You can also click on the link which you will receive by email and this takes you straight to the class so you don't have to enter the code.

You will see a window with a video of your face! Click JOIN WITH VIDEO. (You have the option to turn video off later)

You are now joined to the meeting. You can then click JOIN WITH COMPUTER AUDIO and you’re in!

NOTE: These instructions are for a PC. iPad and Android devices may be different but hopefully you can follow a similar route.

As people join, you should be able to see them and talk to them!

Possible issues:

If you are having problems with this, there is a CHAT button somewhere on the screen which allows you to type a message which I can see. Alternatively, please email us as we will be monitoring this constantly during the class and before.

 

 

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