Monday 28 September 2015

The Beginnings Of My Professional Journey....



"Typical"
So here I am, enrolled on the BAPP course at Middlesex University, about to begin a new chapter of my professional career - Daunting isn't it? Its amazing over the course of my performance career how my mind set and professional skills have radically changed and developed. Its funny to look back at my outlook  on the dance profession in my 1st year of Dance college. As a first year you believe you are invisible - "I WILL dance forever"- sadly this isn't the case.

Since leaving Bodyworks Dance Company in 2011 I have been lucky enough to travel the world and do what I love and get paid for it. Between my contracts onboard different cruise liners I also ran a small promotions company. It was while running this small recruitment agency for dancers and models as well as promoting myself as a dancer that my professional networking skills developed vastly. 

The Wonders of Social Media - My First Blog

Sites such as: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram have all integral tools for networking, promotions and advertising since leaving college. THIS is my first blog! Yet another online profile, another online profile which represents me. Looking through other peoples blogs you can see different formats, different opinions and different backgrounds - each professional profile is different from the last. Its great to see different peoples career paths, opinions and is a great way to compare different thought processes and create discussions- a way for us to gain a degree and carry on doing what we love.

So why further study?

May 2015 - Unfortunately I  had a car crash driving on a country road late at night (swerving a fox - if you can believe it!!) The car completely flipped leaving me and my car on the side of the road. My injuries cost me my 3rd contract with Princess Cruises as I was due to embark 2 weeks later. Thankfully I am fully recovered (wish i could say the same for my car) - But the reason I am sharing this with you all is because the crash really made me question my professional choices. What if I had lost my leg? What if I ruined my face? My image? My whole career would be lost.  Its for this reason I can't wait to gain more knowledge and start my journey here with Middlesex University.

Its going to be a tough journey for the next 2 years, but as Paula said in our induction: "Performers are some of the most hardworking people in the world" - OF COURSE! We do hours and hours of training at college, we work 100000 jobs, we go to auditions, we workout everyday, we are our own business, we do our own taxes, we promote ourselves, we email agent after agent after agent, we work jobs in-between contracts! AND NOW - we want to further ourselves more by doing a degree - I love a new challenge and I can't wait for what the course is going to teach me!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE !!!!