This past summer, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater was preparing for a production with Broadway in Chicago, “Goshen” — a musical dance collaboration with historical themes depicted in the bible — and tour with Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, songwriter and producer Donald Lawrence. But performances were cancelled and rehearsals halted, according to Atwood.
“This is the longest a lot of us have ever been without being in the studio,” Atwood said. “It’s really hard because it’s not only about income, but it’s also the way we all express ourselves, the way we use dance as therapy and get through challenging times, especially times like this.”
This is Atwood’s fifth year as a dancer for Deeply Rooted Dance Theater — a Chicago-based theater rooted in Black dance and storytelling. The Ohio native is also the company’s grants and operations manager and a graduate of Howard University.
Atwood said she began to take her career as a dancer more seriously when she took ballet and modern dance in high school while attending Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, Ohio. Now, in addition to dancing, she’s also a part-time dance teacher for different studios, including Studio One Dance Conservatory and Ballet Chicago, where she’s currently teaching dance classes virtually and in person.
Since March, Atwood has met her Deeply Rooted dance class of about 10 dancers online. Dancers from different cities, including New York, Atlanta and Milwaukee, would log into Zoom for class and rehearsal. The physical disconnect has made it even harder to manage when preparing for their upcoming show, she added.
Creating space at home and virtual instruction had not been ideal, Atwood said.
After virtual rehearsal, Atwood said the class would have “talk backs” to discuss how dancers were coping without traditional dance in their lives.
“That was extremely helpful,” Atwood said about the talks. “We had breakthroughs and cries. As artists, losing our time in the studio during a pandemic was a huge emotional shift for us.”
Atwood said that the pandemic caused her to recently spiral into a deep depression and have panic attacks, making it harder for her to be away from the studio — the place that keeps her calm and at peace.
“When I’m dancing, I can feel anything from joy to frustration to wonder or even curiosity,” Atwood said. This type of expression is important for Black folks, and it’s important for her to keep Black dance alive, she added.
“I think dance is a relief,” said Atwood. “Black people hold on to so much, especially in our bodies. Dance allows us to release and embrace a different energy.”