For dance and a capella groups, one COVID-19 case could jeopardize weeks of rehearsal leading up to their performances. Since Northwestern lifted its mask mandate in February, the leaders of these groups are grappling with how to approach masking.

When NU made masks optional at the end of Winter Quarter, Refresh Dance Crew Education Chair Chris Woodard said the team asked members to keep masks on because they would be performing at Celebraisa, a show celebrating Lunar New Year.

“If someone were to get COVID that late into the quarter, they would miss all-cast rehearsal or tech week, or even worse, Celebrasia itself,” Woodard said. “With dance, you have formations. If someone were to be missing in a formation, it’s very obvious and really hard to account for that last minute.”

Refresh will monitor COVID-19 cases on campus before formalizing its stance on masks for Spring Quarter. However, Woodard said most members accepted the mask policy last quarter.

Weinberg sophomore Kashish Dhawan, tech director of Deeva, said the dance team has not enforced a mask requirement, but everyone continues wearing them at practice.

“We’re a smaller team, and we all have the same COVID-conscious values,” Dhawan said. “It’s kind of an unspoken agreement that all of us wear masks anyway at practice.”

Weinberg sophomore Jessica Moonjely, president of Brown Sugar, said the a capella group plans to make masks optional in rehearsal because most members said they did not have strong preferences in a club survey. However, she said leaders ask members to wear masks if they feel sick, and the group will all wear masks if a member requests it.

“We have to the best of our ability really taken everybody’s feedback into consideration, and this is what the majority of the group is comfortable with,” Moonjely said.

Moonjely also said the team is open to altering its policy if circumstances change. For instance, she said the Brown Sugar board has discussed enforcing masks during the weeks prior to their show in May.

“We’re going to try to ask them to … be mindful during that time because it’s just one positive and we really can’t have our show,” Moonjely said.

Extreme Measures heavily encouraged members to wear masks in the week following Spring Break, according to Communication sophomore Jason Sekili, the group’s president. Moving forward, Sekili said the executive board advised members to get tested within 24 hours if they plan to attend rehearsals unmasked.

The group did not require masks during Fall Quarter, and Sekili said it had no cases. However, he said even with required masking during Winter Quarter, a member of Extreme Measures tested positive, forcing the group to switch to remote rehearsal for two days.

“With the nature of the COVID-19 virus, you never really know,” Sekili said. “One week everyone might be doing well, and then the next week there could be a huge spike. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that everyone’s safe.”

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @CarolineLBrew

Related Stories:

— Faculty members, teacher’s assistants express concerns about lifted mask mandate in classrooms

— Students express mixed opinions on removal of mask mandate

— Northwestern will no longer require masking in most public spaces