The Show Must "Go On" – AkomiDance

submitted by Marie Hoffman and Anthony Aceves, AkomiDance, Inc.

based in Westminster, Orange County

Since the beginning of the shut down in southern California, AkomiDance has been committed to maintaining connection and interaction within our community. Almost immediately after receiving the news that our annual concert would be canceled, we sprinted into action and created OCDF Online to ensure that the artists who had passionately created such engaging work would be able to be seen even amidst the quarantine. To date, our virtual concert has garnered over 800 views and we have received an outpouring of gratitude from our community for providing this platform to view dance while in lockdown.

In addition, we have continued to offer our weekly company classes free of charge via our Instagram account, and every week our virtual attendance increases as more and more people realize they are still able to dance with us from afar. We have received message after message thanking us for continuing to make dance available in these unprecedented times and these messages keep us striving to move forward.

AkomiDance will continue to work toward unification and strength within our community through the healing and transformative power of dance. In times of chaos and uncertainty, artists must remain committed to providing direction and solace. We pledge to uphold that responsibility through word and action as we progress.