Audio and Video help with dancing on zoom!
Hello Allegro families! Allegro has formed a Dance at Home Committee. The Committee would like to give you ideas and inspiration to help you with your dance at home setup. Today we will share two examples of home setups for audio/visual needs.
Video #1: https://youtu.be/cjYYWdIPtWg In the first video, the Allegro dancer has grown used to zooming on his iPad but was struggling to hear the audio in tap. Because there are advanced audio settings on a laptop, he borrows his mom's laptop for sound only for his tap classes. The family has purchased the following $20 speakers to plug into the laptop to amplify the sound: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0791H74NT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
In this video you will learn how to adjust the advanced settings on the laptop. You will also be able to hear the difference in sound quality with and without the speakers plugged into the laptop. Please note that Bluetooth speakers do not always seem to work well with Zoom.
In the second video the Allegro dancer uses her laptop to zoom. In order to have great audio and a larger picture to see movement she plugs her laptop into the TV using an HDMI cable. HDMI cables can be purchased for around $10, depending on the length you need: https://www.amazon.com/Silkland-Ethernet-Zinc-Alloy-Compatible-Projector/dp/B08BLHN5CW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3V9882B6B7BFA&dchild=1&keywords=hdmi+cable&qid=1604982523&s=electronics&sprefix=hdmi+%2Celectronics%2C234&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNlQ1QjdUUkVSNk1WJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjQxOTA0MTBJVjA0V0Q3VFZXVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTA3OTQwM0sxMjM0VE4xRFI3UyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=. Please note, on Smart TV's you may need to restart the computer once it is connected to the TV via the HDMI cord in order for it to recognize your device. In the video the student is not connecting to a Smart TV, so this issue is not addressed.
In this video, the dancer also shows how she uses her phone as an external camera. The benefit of a phone or external camera is that the lens takes in the whole picture of the room so the dancer's entire body can be seen. Most tablets and laptops cut off the dancer's body. There are a variety of external cameras available on Amazon if you choose to go that route. The tripod the dancer in the video uses can be found here for $20: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075WQYN3B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This article suggests several external cameras great for dance: https://teachandgo.com/blog/webcams-online-teaching/ There are also many more inexpensive options available on Amazon.
Please look for our future blogs, as we will address various issues regarding dancing at home. If you have a great audio-visual setup, please email, allegrodanceathome@gmail.com, so we can connect and share your setup with others.
Thank you! We hope you find this helpful.
The Dance at Home Committee
