Dorset instructor 'looking forward' to teaching group exercise classes again
314 Zoom classes later, Weymouth's Bec Ayles can't wait to teach in a studio again
Exercise class instructors in Dorset are looking forward to getting back to in-person classes today.
The country is moving into phase three of the Roadmap out of lockdown today. (17 May)
That means hospitality venues can open inside to customers, people can meet in groups of up to 30 and organised sports events and exercise classes can happen indoors.
Most have gone online since January, when the country was forced into a third lockdown.
One dance aerobics teacher can't quite believe she is returning to classes today.
Bec Ayles, dancer and instructor at B.A Dancer got creative and moved all her classes online in the first lockdown of March 2020.
"As much as everyone is Zoomed out I can't fault it really because it was a platform I didn't even know about before lockdown and it has abled me to keep my really small business going, it's made me be able to interact with people all around the country and even had dancers come from America and India to join classes.
"It has just been insane to see my little business branch out like that and that was only through the power of Zoom and the internet so it did have lots and lots of benefits and bonuses for me but of course nothing beats live classes."
13.5 months and 314 zoom classes later Bec is back in the studio and hoping Zoom won't be an option again.
"I am secretly hoping that my Zoom days are over, however I am going to be offering some recorded classes as that is I think now that is an option for people that maybe aren't ready to come studios or live further afield which is lovely as it's something we can now offer."
On Friday Bec taught her last two classes online, she recalls what it was like when she first started teaching online, at the beginning of the pandemic:
"It was hilarious, I am not technical minded at all, so it really did take quite a lot of practice to get it right, I remember having my laptop stacked up on varying different items, being wobbly.
"I've got two dogs as well so they often provided a lot of entertainment, whereas usually I would be dancing in a studio with just humans and of course it meant that I was outside in the summer months, inside for the winter months, changing round the living room all the time to find the best space, so it did take a lot of adapting and a lot of time to develop those technical skills, but it is something that I have been pleased to learn.
"It is something I can take forward and it is positive because it is something that has grown my business in so many ways that I could have never even imagine really."