The next step was making sure I could further my training so, at 16 I remember dutifully attending a ballet class full of 8-year-olds so I could prepare myself with the basics to get through an audition for University. It paid off and I got a place to study Contemporary dance. It was there I discovered the art of play and of collaborating with other people to make extraordinary things happen. That's when I realised that this was what I wanted from a career.
I have been lucky enough to work for over twenty years as a choreographer running my own small-scale dance company and creating 7 full-length touring shows that have been performed nationally and internationally. Driving a van full of the props and set for the show I made with a cast full of talented dancers (and closest friends) all working for me as we toured from venue to venue has to be one of my proudest and most fulfilling moments....Oh, and seeing my work on stage in New York and reading the great review.
Perseverance was my biggest challenge, a career in dance often means you take on a variety of different roles, one day you can be a teacher, another day a dancer or choreographer. Juggling training, dancing, making work, inventing projects, writing applications, pitching for jobs, and earning money all at the same time was often a challenge. Waiting for my first commission as a choreographer seemed like a lifetime ago although if I look back now I was very fortunate to have people trust me with that job from a very early point in my career…...
If I could give one bit of advice to my younger self it would be ‘be gracious and canny enough to listen to feedback but trust your own judgment and never lose sight of your own goals.
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