New Orleans: the aftermath, the recovery.

Hurricane Katrina did her best to take the wind out of the sails of the New Orleans dance community. After the initial shock, dancers, teachers, and students are returning to their homes and studios. The slow, tedious task of rebuilding a heavily hit dance scene has begun.

Joseph Giacobbe's three dance studios remain mostly undamaged, like beacons of hope amidst the destruction of Katrina. "The building next door to our Metairie studio is missing an entire side; it's a hundred times worse than what you see on TV," remarked Giacobbe as he prepared to reopen his studios in October. "Trash and debris are everywhere. It looks like a war zone."

Giacobbe is the artistic director of the Delta Festival Ballet (DFB), the parent company of the 62-year-old Giacobbe Academy of Dance. Giacobbe and sister Maria have trained dancers who have gone to major companies throughout the U.S., including Janie Taylor of New York City Ballet and Jacquelyn Reyes and Tobin Eason of American Ballet Theatre.

The DFB warehouse was not so lucky. Sets and costumes for several ballets have been damaged, some beyond repair. Giacobbe was pleased that companies from all over the country have offered to loan decor for future productions. In a stroke of luck, DFB's costume mistress had some of the most elaborate costumes with her for repairs when Katrina stuck. Amid the tireless work of contacting parents and assessing damage, Giacobbe is dealing with the flooding in his own home and the tremendous stress of twice losing track of his mother-in-law, first from Katrina, and then from Hurricane Rita. "People walk in with wounded eyes, so stressed and disoriented," said Giacobbe. Robyn Sodaro Schmidt, a DFB faculty member, lost all her possessions in flood waters that reached the top of the door frame. "Everywhere you look, you see something broken," she said.

Giacobbe is confident that as more families return, his studios will be back on track. Even his own family members questioned his judgment in reopening his studios. But sure enough, children are coming back to class. "They want some normalcy in their lives. The children have been great; they went straight to the barre. We are strong people and will charge ahead," said Giacobbe.

The modern dance community was just starting to gather steam before Katrina struck. Kettye Voltz, artistic director of Tsunami Dance Company, was preparing with her crew for a November performance of a full length work, Orpheus. In an odd alignment of fate, Orpheus drew its inspiration from the undersea landscape of New Orleans and the idea of the swamp. Even the press photos were all taken underwater. "I mourned the loss of Orpheus intensely, not only the show itself, but all the work of this past year," said Voltz.

Up until Katrina, momentum had been building for Tsunami. Choreographer/performer Scott Heron featured his solo work in their last two concerts. They were awarded every grant they applied for and received a record amount of support for their September fundraiser. Voltz reported that the dance community was beginning to reemerge over the past five years. "It's a small but lively scene and we are striving for national recognition."

Now, Voltz's dancers are spread all over the U.S. and it's unlikely that all will return Although Tsunami's second-floor studio escaped damage, Voltz's family home was flooded with 14 feet of water. Tsunami dancer Susan Sanborn, who is also a nurse, spent a week in the treacherous Charity Hospital. However, all the dancers have been accounted for and each has their own story of evacuation and the trauma that ensued. "There will always be dancers in New Orleans, but it won't be the same." Tsunami's future is uncertain. Voltz is considering a spring performance if enough dancers return. "Maybe," she lamented, "we should change our name."