Impactos da pandemia da COVID-19 nas aulas coletivas dos professores de dança autônomos de João Pessoa -PB

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a profound transformation worldwide and demanded that autonomous dance teachers rapidly adapt to new realities. The general objective of the present study was to analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on group dance classes taught by autonomous dance teachers in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. It also sought to identify the challenges and adaptations faced by these professionals during the pandemic period and to describe the main changes in dance education. The methodology used was qualitative, descriptive in nature, with content analysis, as advocated by Bardin, structured in three phases: 1) pre-analysis; 2) exploration of the material, categorization or coding; 3) treatment of the results, inferences, and interpretation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with autonomous dance teachers in the city, using saturation sampling. The results revealed that these professionals suffered psychological, financial, physical, and other impacts and experienced physical and virtual barriers, technical difficulties, and devaluation of the profession, implementing adaptations such as new pedagogical approaches, seeking support, and methodological modifications. Group dance classes, regardless of the modality, underwent reconfigurations in structure, duration, and intensity, with the widespread use of digital resources and the expansion of the communication repertoire. Contrary to the expectation of increased value, the research pointed to challenges such as student attrition and the perception of dance as a dispensable activity. It is concluded that the pandemic imposed considerable challenges, negatively impacting the working conditions and well-being of teachers, highlighting the need for greater support and appreciation of the profession.