Reimagine: A conversation with Spectrum instructor and dancer Jaclyn Wheatley

The last few months have turned life upside down. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to quickly adjust to a “new normal”—a life together, yet apart. Social distancing requires flexibility and creativity as we negotiate how we work, learn, and stay connected.

In many ways, I’ve been inspired by seeing the solutions people are dreaming up and making happen. I experienced this in real time as our teams at Microsoft reimagined the future by bringing creative experiences to remote work, exploring the possibilities of digital-only events, and empowering citizen developers through expanded Azure capabilities. I saw our partners and customers—from a university in Ohio to a winemaker in Tuscany—do magical things. And I watched my own family adjust to a world entirely different than one we expected or planned for.   

My daughter, Grace, has been dancing for as long as she has been walking. But her world looks a little different now, too—her dance classes no longer happen in a room full of her friends, but over a video call. As I watched my daughter go through this experience, I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the impact being felt across the arts community, the challenges and lessons learned so far, and the ways tech has helped small businesses pivot in a remote world.

I recently sat down with Jaclyn Wheatley, one of my daughter’s instructors and a company member at Spectrum Dance Theater. Our conversation made clear that navigating the new normal requires a growth mindset, creative collaboration, agile problem-solving, and a deep understanding of customers—or, in this case, students.

Chris Capossela: How did you get your start? Were you dancing at age two or did you find dance a little later in your life?

Jaclyn Wheatley: I was dancing at age two! I screamed the first six months of my life until I could crawl, and then I was fine because I could move. My mom put me in dance the moment it was possible. I did everything…ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater, you name it, I did it.

During my senior year in high school, I auditioned to perform in the 2010 Olympics closing ceremonies in Vancouver. That was one of the most amazing experiences of my life—I still get goosebumps talking about it. After high school, I was accepted into the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University BFA program and moved to New York. After learning there for four amazing years, I auditioned for Donald Byrd, Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater, here in Seattle and boy, was it difficult. But it was also absolutely wonderful.

Chris Capossela: Having seen my daughter grow up in the dance world, I’ve learned there’s a clear rhythm to dance company life. When COVID-19 hit, how did Spectrum change?

Jaclyn Wheatley: Once the studio had to close, we had about two weeks where we weren’t working, but we were still compensated. We were so thankful because so many people in other dance companies, even huge companies, were being laid off or furloughed with no support. After those two weeks, we shifted to virtual meetings and Donald had us start documenting our choreographic process. We wanted to see how we could use our processes to bring people together and teach them to look inward.

Chris Capossela: You were also able to—relatively quickly—start offering online classes where you teach from home. How different is that? What’s that transition been like? 

Jaclyn Wheatley: At the beginning, we focused on pre-recorded classes because we weren’t sure what the demand would be. Transitioning to virtual classes has been a learning curve—but I’m so thankful for the technology and I’m so thankful for the students and their willingness to go with the flow. It can be very challenging to give a lot of energy into the screen.

With in-person teaching, I can see my students’ facial expressions, I can feel their energy, I can tell if they’re in a bad mood and need a little bit of extra encouragement. Every week we’re doing something different to keep it fun, so that they continue wanting to dedicate an hour of their day to being online with me. In this weird alternate reality where we’re at home all the time, sometimes we don’t want to dance at 7:30 at night. Sometimes that feels crazy—like, “Do I really want to do a plié and a tendu right now?”.

I’ve been focusing a lot on being creative and making time for class planning, sitting with music, writing out exercises, and creating combinations. It’s been liberating—and now I’m developing a curriculum for myself, which was definitely inspired by the work we were doing with Donald.

Chris Capossela: Have you found any tips or tricks that have helped you stick with something when the energy is just so different in your day-to-day life?

Jaclyn Wheatley: No matter what the activity is—washing dishes, taking the dog for a walk, or taking a class online—when I actively make a plan and execute it, I know I’m going to feel better afterwards either because I accomplished that goal, or because things went sideways and I learned something new!

Chris Capossela: What are some of the surprises on this journey?

Jaclyn Wheatley: As a dancer, I often bring someone else’s creative vision to life. Now, I’m needing to be more creative. Recently one of my coworkers and I started a project where we’re hoping to create a dance history curriculum. We’re thinking outside the box and for original ways to engage the community.  

Chris Capossela: As you look to the future, what are you hopeful for in the coming years?

Jaclyn Wheatley: I’m excited for what we’ll discover. There’s a lot of energy right now—people are creating some incredible dance films and live performances—and there’s a growing community online. For example, there’s a class called Dance Church that started at Velocity Dance Studio here in Seattle—now thousands of people are joining their classes to “dance alone together”.

I’m hopeful that people will continue to engage with Spectrum and I truly hope the community values the virtual artistic experiences that we bring to them, since it seems unlikely that we’ll be able to sit in a theater with a couple hundred people any time soon. My hope is that we’ll reach new populations that we didn’t before, and that people will find something they didn’t even know they were hungry for.

These past few months, I’ve seen people find new ways to share their experiences and perspectives, build community, and work towards a better future. Here are a few of the powerful stories about race and identity that Spectrum has brought to life through dance: Dance, Dance, Dance (2016), SHOT (2017), and Strange Fruit (2019)—I’ve been so inspired by these pieces and I hope they inspire you too.