CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Spectrum News 1 is taking a look at how Latin dance classes have changed amid the pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • Rumbao Latin Dance Company is offering in-person classes at 30 percent capacity

  • The dance company is adding safety measures amid pandemic

  • In the future, it plans to bring back partner work

Rumbao Latin Dance Company in Charlotte is continuing to teach popular rhythms within the Latin community, including salsa and bachata, while ensuring dancers remain safe.

Before COVID-19, classes at Rumbao Latin Dance Company focused on partner work and social dancing.

From March to September this year, the dance studio offered classes online.

They continue to offer virtual classes and reopened for in-person classes at 30 percent capacity a month ago. However, the in-studio classes are different than in the past.

For example, students are only doing solo dancing and following new rules. For now, dancers are registering online, getting their temperature checked at the door, wearing face masks during class, and keeping their distance while dancing.

Misty Henderson, who is learning to dance salsa for the first time at Rumbao, is glad the business put these procedures in place amid the pandemic.

“I feel very safe, and it has been a fun experience,” Henderson says.

Rumbao Latin Dance Company Owner Jennifer Geyer says dancers are focusing on footwork instead of partner work for now.

“This would be the opposite of what we would do before where we would have everybody come together, everybody switching partners, and that was really the way we learned,” Geyer says.

According to Geyer, the temporary change may help in the long run.

“Focusing more on footwork is a little bit more of a challenge, but I also think is a good challenge because it allows them as dancers to grow individually and hopefully when we can do a partner switching, they will be ready to do that,” Geyer says.

Mariana Nino, who has been taking classes at Rumbao for three-and-a-half years, is happy to be back.

She admits it was difficult concentrating doing virtual lessons.

“I got so distracted, but here I still have the people. I still have my instructors. Just having them near me, gives me energy and motivates me to dance,” Nino says.

Geyer says the dance company has lost 70 percent of customers due to the pandemic, but grants have helped the business stay afloat.

In the future, the business plans to switch the format of the classes but require students to have a set partner.