2d. The inquiry task

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

From a very young age I have loved teaching, and have wanted to be a teacher in some way. Now that I am a dance teacher and choreographer my enthusiasm is driven from many different angles. First and for most I love watching people develop from the beginning of a class or routine to the end. I love helping pupils that want to learn develop their skills and technique, and it makes me incredibly proud watching them leave at the end of class with something they didn't know about before or knew they could do. 

I also get enthusiastic about watching other teachers and choreographers work. Whether its a top West End choreographer who is teaching professional dancers, or a dance teacher at a school teaching 5 year old children ballet, there is so much to learn from people. I recently sat in on a rehearsal for a Gala happening at the London Palladium. The choreographer was Paul Robinson, and it was fascinating to watch how he worked. Although it was obvious that he had a sense of how he wanted the routine to look and feel, he developed the choreography there in the room, totally based on his instincts. This is completely different to how some choreographers work, who have the routine all planned before they enter the studio. I would like to become a choreographer who uses their impulses and instincts more. I believe that through experience and age this will happen for me, but right now I am learning a great deal from people like Paul work. You can check out Paul's website here.

I also admire people who use dance as a way to get messages across, and who teach purely for the enjoyment of others. I will never be able to put into words how much I admire Christine Neiring and all the Chickenshed Theatre staff. Chickenshed is a place where performing is totally selfless. It is not about one person and how well they do, but about letting everyone how the opportunity to reach their full potential. The shows performed at Chickenshed are powerful and beautiful, and I truly believe the work they do there is incredibly special. Please check out the Chickenshed website here.

What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness and anger?

Sometimes I get frustrated or worried because I don't know if this is the right path for me. I feel proud of everything I have achieved, and have been given some amazing opportunities  but because this profession is so fickle, it's always hard to tell how far you will go in it. However I am not giving up and will continue to do my best and work hard for as long as this makes me happy. I would like to believe I am an incredibly motivated and hard working person, but it makes me angry that unfortunately that may not be enough to give me a long lasting career. A lot about this industry seems to be about who you know, and what you look like. Your talent can be taken as a given, and so on top of that you need to have so much more. Also you can be the most passionate person, but if you are not presented with the right opportunities to show this passion, then it may get buried or lost. 

My best friend Hannah is someone I will always admire, not just from a career perspective, but in general. Hannah is a beautiful performer and incredibly talented at what she does. Not only that, but she is determined, outspoken and very driven. The path into performing since leaving the Urdang Academy has not been easy for her though. She has had to do jobs that she has not enjoyed and are unrelated to her career, as well as self motivate herself to write letters to agents, go to auditions and have countless meetings. When Hannah got her first job in One Touch of Venus in Walthemstow I was so proud of her. Her hard work had paid off and lead her onto the first step of her career. Although Hannah is still fighting everyday, I believe her determined attitude and talent will lead her on an amazing career path. I have the privilege of living with Hannah and will always look to her as a source of inspiration.

What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

The thing I will always love most is watching something start as nothing and develop. Whether it be a piece of choreography, a show, or just a short class. I love getting involved and being part of a team, and will never mind from what aspect I help from. Over the last couple of weeks I have been working as a Production intern for a charity Gala. Although this is something I have never done before, I have loved every minute of it. I feel so happy to be part of such an amazing team, and can't wait to watch the performance this Sunday. I really hope that I get an opportunity like this again as I feel this could be a way I may want to develop my career. 

Since I was a teenager I have been very involved with the Chichester Festival Theatre, and more specifically in the Youth Theatre side of things. I used to be a member myself and now have the privilege of teaching and choreographing for them. The Youth Theatre Director Dale Rooks is someone who I am so glad I know, and can now call my friend as well as my teacher and boss. Dale is someone who lives for the Youth Theatre. You can tell just by speaking to her how passionate she is, and how proud she is of each individual member and the shows and performances they do. Not only that, she is incredibly loyal. Dale has taken an interest in my career for many years. Although I moved away from Chichester for four years,this has never affected anything between us. She has put her trust in me and encouraged me in so many ways, as well as giving me countless opportunities  I believe I will always learn from Dale, and know that she shares the same passion as me in terms of watching a project or person grow and develop. You can read more about Dale and the Chichester Festival Theatre here.

What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

There is so much that I don't understand. In terms of my career I am learning everyday as I am recently graduated and am keen to soak up information from all different sources and people. But in general life, I also have a lot I don't understand. There are times where I have felt life to be quite challenging and tough and go to seek help and answers. My dad is someone who I will always go to for this. He has a very similar personality to me, and yet his attitude is so admirable. My dad will never give up hope of getting an answer. He is incredibly knowledgeable and wise, and is always keen to learn from other people and improve. I will always admire my dad's attitude and hope I continue to learn from him.

And finally...

I would also like to briefly talk about choreographers who have inspired me. Since I was a teenager I have been aware of different choreographers styles and work. Stephen Mear will always been the person who first got my interested in choreography. I love that he choreographs for such a diverse range of shows style of shows, and the way he allows character and personality to be central to his work. It would be my dream to meet Stephen one day, and to work with him would be the biggest honour of all! Mark Smith is an inventive and dynamic choreographer. I had the honour of being his assistant for the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre Show 'Noah' and have since worked with Mark on other projects. Mark is deaf and so his style of movement is often influenced by sign language. I love Mark's fun personality and find it shines through in everything that he does. Finally I will always love Bill Deamer's choreography for Babes in Arms at the Chichester Festival Theatre, and Andrew Wright's for Singin in the Rain. Both these choreographers are so classy and create beautiful images and lines.