Yes! thank you MidSouth Energy, our local electricity coop. When updating their system to better read electrical meters, we were give the option to sign up to enjoy lightening fast internet.

Prayers are answered! Soma Ranch has LIGHTNING fast internet. We are now offering Hybrid classes - this is where Helen teaches folks on Zoom and folks in the room simultaneously.

At the beginning and end of class the local ladies (in the room) get to chat and connect with Nia movers all over the world. And all the participants on Zoom get to connect with the local dancers here in Montgomery, Texas.

While the class is going we shift the camera so you can see both the reflection and the back image of Helen teaching. Virtual, zoom, participants, receive more of a 3 dimensional sense of the class experience, as if they are in the room! They also enjoy seeing folks dancing together in the room, get inspired by how every moves similar yet uniquely and there’s a lovely feel of community and connection. Participants in the room get to enjoy the MOVIE SIZED projection of the zoom dancers on the side wall.

On zoom classes, eyes of “technology” folks widen as they hear our new fast numbers. For those of us who are less savvy, when it comes to technology, the summary is when you come to a class with Helen now, you will see me and our community LIVE in the Soma Ranch Studio. The internet is so fast you will receive crystal clear picture. Freezing and dropping are also highly unlikely. FYI if you DO experience streaming, freezing, dropping problems, consider, when on zoom, click your video OFF (bottom right corner of screen). You will still be able to see Helen teaching AND your reception may improve.

We have more spaghetti to sort out. Once we’ve figured out best camera angles, calculated how long cables need to be, synchronized web cams, positioned computers, screens, speakers… we’ll have most wires installed through the walls and seamless “production”

Before I had no idea what “ping” meant, let alone what was a great score/result. Here’s a little more about ping in case you’re curious.. https://techterms.com/definition/ping

A ping is a signal sent to a host that requests a response. It serves two primary purposes: 1) to check if the host is available and 2) to measure how long the response takes.

What is a Good Ping Response Time?

< 30 ms - excellent ping; almost unnoticeable; ideal for online gaming
30 to 50 ms - average ping; still ok for online gaming
50 to 100 ms - somewhat slow ping time; not too noticeable for web browsing but may affect gaming
100 ms to 500 ms - slow ping; minimal effect on web browsing, but will create noticeable lag in online gaming
> 500 ms - pings of a half second or more will add a noticeable delay to all requests; typically happens when the source and destination are in different parts of the world