3c. The sources of information

In order to have a successful professional network, my sources of information need to be relevant, up to date and easy to access. The five sources of information I use the most are as follows...

 E-mailing 

E-mailing is a great way for me to interact as it allows you to contact person or establishment directly,without being to invasive into their personal lives if you don't know them very well. When I first decided that I wanted to pursue choreography as a career, I used e-mail as a way to ask for work experience with different choreographers and theatres. I preferred this to letters as e-mail allows you to attach documents therefore I could send them my CV and head shot as well. In addition to this, it meant to information was sent to them immediately and with no risk of getting lost, rather than a letter which could take several days and get lost in transit.

Today e-mail is still a fantastic and reliable source of information for me. It is how I quite often get contacted for different jobs, as I am more than happy to give people my e-mail address, but sometimes more reluctant to give out my telephone number. It also means I can contacted people on mass if needs be.


Social media and Web 2.0

I have used social media and Web 2.0 for many years, however it hasn't been until fairly recently that I have used them to benefit my professional career. Facebook, Twitter and blogging are a fantastic way to keep up to date with the latest information and trends. They allow people to have insight into your life and career, and also are a great way for you to promote and advertise yourself. However, they are only valuable as long as they are popular. In other words, there would be no point in me using Twitter if a) is wasn't that popular or b) the people on their weren't able to boost my professional network. Another thing to be aware of when using social media is that everything on there is very exposing. If you allow a Musical Theatre professional to be your friend on Facebook, you are allowing them to see your social life and interests outside of your career. Although this generally shouldn't be a problem, I am always aware of who I allow to be my friend, and monitor what goes up on my wall to ensure my professional career is not hindered.

The internet is another fantastic way to improve your professional career as you are opened up to the biggest pool of information and knowledge you can find. I often use the internet if I am meeting a professional for the first time and want to be clued up on their experience and career. Another way I use it is to find out information on locations for rehearsals using google maps and different theatres and choreographers that I can write too. A big positive about the internet is that it can now be accessed from so many different sources. Since I have a blackberry I am constantly using the internet 'on the go' enabling me to access information 24- 7.

The main thing I have to be aware of when using the internet is how reliable the sources are. For example, if I decide to use wikipedia as a source of research I have to be aware that anyone can alter the information so it may not be true. So it is up to me to decide how reliable the source of information is, and to do further research if needed.

Face to face interaction

I am someone who will always try to use face- to- face interaction where possible. I believe that it gives you the maximum opportunity to give your best impression, and allows you to express your ideas and experience. While I was doing the 42nd Street Gala, I got talking to a person a knew through a mutual friend and through conversation and explaining a bit about myself, I got asked if I would work for him. This kind of thing would not have been possible had we not met in person, as a) he wouldn't have seen me at work and so known that I was efficient and reliable and b) I would have not been able to learn about what he did in so much detail and explain my link to his work.

 I also deal with a lot of different people when it comes to teaching, as I regularly interact with pupils, parents and other teachers. Through this interaction I am able to get a good understanding about what it required in my classes, and provide parents with a sense of security as they feel that they have a more personal relationship with the teacher.

Personally for me, there haven't been any negatives when using face- to- face interaction as a main source, however I must always be aware that I articulate and present myself in the right way. In addition to this, I think appearance can be very important especially if you are meeting with people that can heavily influence your career. The reason for this, is that people tend to make judgments very quickly, and  I would never want to give someone a reason not to hire me. I like to maintain a professional attitude and appearance at all times when it comes to work.

 My mobile; text, call and e-mail

My mobile is something I have on me all day everyday. It allows people to contact me directly, and can be used to call, text and e-mail. This means there is always a way for open line of communication to be available between me and other people in my network. The other positive is that I can get real time information coming through to me all the time. For example if I am going to a rehearsal and last minute the venue gets changed, I am able to be contacted straight away and given the new location. Another scenario is that I have been contacted through text, call and e-mail to cover last minute lessons when teachers are unwell. Overall my mobile is something that I can't be without if I want to have a good professional network.


Word of mouth

I think it could seem strange that I use word of mouth as a main source of information, but it is something I have been using a lot more recently now I have started to expand my professional network. Word of mouth is a rare but a  hugely valuable source, as it generally means that you have either been recommended for a job, or someone has told you to get in contact with someone because they think you will be suitable. I recently got a call from the Urdang Academy asking me to come in and help with their Foundation year end of term show. This was a great honor as they contacted me because the found out about all the work I had been doing since I graduated and felt I would be right for the job.

The only down side to using this as a source, is that it still requires a lot of work your end, as you have to keep you name constantly circulated so you become at the front of people's minds. What I have quickly learnt since graduating, is that everyone leads very busy lives and can either be forgetful or tend to have people they have worked with before so will always ask them. This means that in order for me to begin to work my way into that circle, I have to constantly promote myself and make sure I have covered a wide base.


Other people and their network's

Georgie Bird put down the Pineapple notice board as one of her main sources. This is something I have never used mainly because I don't tend to go to Pineapple for auditions. However, I recognise that it is a very useful way to keep up to date with current classes and events that could improve your network. The only downside is that if you don't look at the notice board on a very regular basis, you will find that things aren't current, or you have missed opportunities all together. In order for me to gain maximum benefit from it, I would have to start going to Pineapple a lot more.

Melanie Brown talked about the value of her agent as a main source of information. I can definitely see how this would benefit you as a performer as agents have very up to date information about current shows and auditions. I would love to have an agent to help me find out about choreographic jobs, but right now I am not well known enough to need one. However, this is a definite goal for the future. The only thing I am skeptical about when it comes to agents is that you become reliable on them and the don't find out about jobs for yourself. This is something I would not want to happen because I am always very conscious that you are in charge of your own career. Melanie also talked about how she has her CV and head shot in a document that she can access on her computer and her phone. This is something I have never thought about doing,but I think it is an excellent idea. This way if anyone contacts you and needs immediate information you have a ready made package to send over. This would be something that is very easy for me to do and could help to develop my network.

When reading through Sarah Robinson's blog I noticed that she put down magazines, DVD's and books. In the future I hope to complete my RAD and/or my ISTD teaching qualifications and for this you need to use books and DVD's constantly to be clued up on current teaching events and the different syllabuses. In terms of my present career I have never really though about using these sources unless its's for inspiration for choreography, but I am trying to think reflectively as to how it might be useful. DVD's of different choreographers work could be a good way to improve my network as I will then be more aware of different styles, professionals and shows. Magazines are a good way to read up on interviews and adverts, but like the Pineapple notice board you have to be careful of how current they are as the adverts are not a 'real time' source. Another thing that came to mind was that magazines and books often come in the form of and e- book or e-magazine which means they are available to you at a touch of a button. Because they are so available I think it would be good for me to make a conscious effort to use them. This way I am literally trying to utilise all my resources and widen my network in as many ways as possible.


And so...

When I reflected back on this blog I noticed that other than face- to- face and word of mouth interaction, all my other sources are reliable on a computer. Although I realise that with modern society today everything is dominated by technology I still believe that a hand written reflective journal source. The reason for this is because it documents everything by day or event but also exposes you thoughts and feelings. It's a great way to keep track of your career, write lists and notes and to generally document what you want when you want. Although I am so grateful for technology I don't think I will ever be able to give up the good old fashioned journal!

3b. The theories related to networking

It has taken a lot of time, research and reflection to get to the point of writing this blog. Before I could even begin to reflect on my own professional practice and how these theories might relate, I had to first get my head around the ideas and history behind each one. I still feel that this is very much and on going developing process but I wanted to begin to document some of my findings.

When looking at cooperation, I firstly looked up the different definitions. In reader 3, Alan Durrant describes it is the will and way to win. This idea is elaborated with the idea of cooperating with others until you reach your maximum benefit. These ideas were explored by Robert Axelrod, the main researcher into cooperation, who builds on this further by asking when should a person cooperate, and when should a person be selfish?*

If I reflect on cooperation  in this way, I have to look at my career in very black and white terms. Whenever I do something, one person will win or gain, and the other will lose or suffer. It also requires me to imagine that everything I do is purely for my own personal gain, and that at times I might even undermine someone for the benefit of my career. This is not my natural nature and something I would never consciously think, but I can attempt to relate this idea to some of my experiences. For example, there has now been two occasions where a teacher I know has had to ask me to cover her, because of sickness and other reasons. Through conversation with her, she has hinted to me that she is looking in the future to pass this class on to someone else, and is thinking of me as a candidate.  So when I get the call asking to cover, do I think about the teacher and how sad it is that she's sick? Or do I think it's a brilliant opportunity for me to show my skills, and demonstrate how I would be the best person for the job? In all honestly that answer is I think of both, but the fact I think the second question relates directly to this idea of cooperation.

When I research further into the idea of a dominant and weaker person in every relationship, I found that Darwin theory of survival of the fittest cropped up, and was even talked about in an essay related to cooperation. This idea is emphasizing the theory of only the strongest survive. I know Darwin is speaking in a literal sense of strength, but it could be adapted into my career very easily. When leaving the Urdang Academy all of us came out with the same qualification, training and therefore a similar chance for opportunity. However, it is through strength and determination to stay in the profession that some people have manged to get jobs and some not. Because I wanted to go into choreography, it was not necessary for me to have an agent at this stage. And so every job I have got has been through my own personal finding. I believe that I have been given jobs and opportunities through endurance and patience. I have made contacts and waited and trusted they will contact me. I also recently lost out on a job purely because I wasn't proactive enough with it. This drives me to continue and work harder, and could therefore be used as an example of Darwins theory.  

In contrast to these ideas, when typing in 'define cooperation', the following definition comes up the action of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit.** If I think about cooperation in this way, my thinking and ideas begin to alter. This presents the idea that in order to create the best possible outcome it is much better to work together. Every Wednesday I teach for the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre dance company called New Moves. The company is divided into three classes and I teach one and my college Amy teachers the other two. In order to have a good natural progression throughout the groups, me and Amy meet on a regular basis and come up with our term lesson plans together. I think this is a perfect example of this idea of cooperation. It means that we both benefit by working together as we get support from each other, but also the students get the best possible class.

Another example of this is when I worked as Assistant choreographer for Mark Smith. Mark is deaf and so communicating can sometimes be hard for me. The show we were working on had a cast of approximately 100 children, and while they were amazing at communicating with Mark, at times it was difficult. By having me there, I was able to provide a great link between Mark and the children so the best possible choreography could be created for the show. It also meant Mark didn't feel so intimidated speaking in front of so many people so we worked together amazingly well.

By looking at the contrasting ideas of cooperation I am able to challenge my way of thinking. Is my career a constant game of The Prisoners Dilemma? Am I always waiting for the move of the other person, whether it be a college, pupil or choreographer with the chance that what I gain will be some beneficial to me I won't mind that the other person loses? Or am I trying to build a support network to create the best possible outcome overall? In all honestly it tends to be the second one for me, as I am not a particularly competitive person but am very passionate about creating quality work and allowing people to learn from me and  be given opportunity. However it was good for me to imagine myself in selfish situations and challenge the intention behind some of my actions.

* Axelrod, R (1984) The evolution of cooperation.
**http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cooperation


When looking at the theory behind affiliation, I discovered quickly that a lot of what was said related to me personally and in terms of my career. I come from a large family and have been blessed with a wide group of friends from a young age, and so have always provided myself with a web of support and affiliation, which I am now constantly expanding for my professional career. When I first read through reader 3 a couple of sentences jumped out at me, specifically because I believe in them or try to do them. The first was we would suggest that a successful career requires effective professional networking and the second was it is up to each practitioner to see how to grow their professional career networks sideways as well as upwards. Since leaving the Urdang Academy, I have been constantly been trying to build my professional network. Because I wanted to go into choreography and teaching, it wasn't necessary for me to have an agent. Therefore all the work and contacts I have created have been through my own doing. When thinking back on this, I realised that I have always been conscious about how serious a professional network is in order to have a successful career. But until I started researching behind the different theories I didn't know it was explored under a specific title. This led to me challenging myself as to why I find providing a network so important. Crisp and Turner describe a theory relate to individualist countries seeking more affiliation, due to developing lots of very weak friendships. I applied this idea to my career and the Musical Theatre industry in general. Say I imagine myself as the individualist country, therefore a stand alone unit that it not attached to anyone or anything by anything substantial, it is natural that I may want to seek friendships and a wide network of people that have similar interests to me, and make me feel safe and supported.

However, Crisp and Turner always raise the awareness that people have desired levels of contact, and that this desire can change over a matter of hours depending on your mood and situation. How is this relevant to me? Well, I realised that my desired level of contact is always fairly high, but have to be sensitive to that fact that this might not be the same for all. This piece of awareness is particularly important when working on a show. Any person that works on a show knows that it is an extremely intense environment. While most people love it, there are some which find it hard to cope with. It is good to be sensitive to this so that you treat every college with the right kind of respect and therefore have a chance of a longer lasting work relationship.

By challenging my initial thoughts about affiliation, I was able to push my thinking further and find reasoning in my thoughts. Because I connected with the idea quickly, it was good for me to expand these thoughts and ideas. It also allowed to to realise that in order for my career to continue the way it is, then affilation is incredibly important. However I still feel that I need to continue to question what my desired level of contact is and why this may fluctuate.

Social constructionism is an idea that I understand on a basic level, but am finding hard to relate to my own experience. It is the idea that through our interactions we create meaning. Crotty explains that ideas maybe pregnant with potential meaning, but actual meaning emerges only when the consciousness engages with them.* I tried to use this concept to help me reflect on this theory. The conclusions I came to is that by having a large network that has a variety of different people in, ideas are able to be challenged and new ideas are created. Choreography is developing all the time,and by collaborating with others these ideas are expanded. In a more literal sense a group of people may get together because they have had a shared experience and want to create a piece inspired about it. To others this piece won't mean anything at first, but through interaction the meaning will come across and therefore a dialogue and relationship is created.

Another way I can look at this theory is through the eyes as a BAPP student. Through interacting via blogs and meetings, new ideas are discussed and things that I never knew existed before this course are available to me.

As I said before this is a concept that I need to reflect on further and continue to explore in order to gain maximum understanding from it.

*Crotty, M- The foundations of social research:meaning and perspectives in the research process


The idea of connectivism has been created since people started realising the change in how we learn, and how we seek our main sources of information. It recognises that learning should be reflective of underlying social environments, and therefore our traditional method of teaching (from teacher to pupil) is now not always the most effective. I automatically can see both sides to this argument, and so have decided to firstly look at this from a dance teacher perspective, and then from a networking aspect. If I explore the idea that only traditional methods of teaching are used, my pupils rely heavily on my knowledge, and do not have the chance to explore their own thoughts. While I think it is good to use this way in some lessons, for example if a pupil has never learnt how to do a pirouette then they need me to teach them, it does not allow a child to explore their creativity. However, if I teach them no technique and allow my classes to purely be a space for pupils to explore and create, then there is not landmark for progression, and the classes could become very unstructured. And so I combine a mixture of both techniques to allow the best possible classes I can.

When looking at this theory in terms of my professional networking, I think that Siemens explains the the positives of connectivism by stating learning is a continual process, lasting a lifetime.* This demonstrates to me that you can't learn everything from your schooling experience and that learning is continual through many different methods. Driscoll emphasises this idea by arguing that learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences.** I can relate this theory to my experience. While I was Urdang I did a dance show where I was dance captain for a contemporary number. The choreographer taught us and then had to do another job, leaving me to clean the piece and get it ready for the show. At the time I was slightly annoyed that I was given such a huge task, but the outcome worked greatly in my favor. Not only did it give me a chance to demonstrate my dance captain skills, but it also gained me a great reputation which led me to being assistant choreographer on further Urdang shows, as well as being asked to come in as an outside teacher after graduation to work on a show. At the time of the piece I didn't know it would lead to so many opportunities, but through the knowledge I learnt on this project I gained experience as well as widened my network.

It think it is also very important to mention at this stage that this theory will continue to develop all throughout my career. Every experience of my career will widen my knowledge and will broaden my contiual learning process. An idea that is quite exciting I feel...

*Siemens, G. (2004) Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.
**Siemens, G. (2004) Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.

The idea of communities of practice is a theory that I can relate closely to my experience at the Urdang Academy. This type of learning can be informal and relaxed, and is more about learning situations of participation rather than being hierarchical. This type of situation usually allows people to come together because of a mutual interest and generate a shared experience. While I was training, this is the type of network I was exposed too. Everyone at Urdang was working towards a similar goal and was opened up to the same level of training and experiences. It is a type of networking and learning that I enjoy, as you have a wide basis of people to challenge ideas with and learn from. Lave and Wegner flag up the point that this type of learning is situated learning. In other words you have to be in the right place in order for it to work. So now that I am not at Urdang, am I still exposed to this type of learning? The answer is yes but not as much as I would like. I live with my best friend who trained at Urdang with me, and still regularly see other friends, so am able to still engage with an effective community. In addition to this, I am doing a work placement at the Chickenshed Theatre which is a huge network of people. The type of ideas explored at Chickenshed is very different to anywhere else I have worked,so it is good force to open my eyes and explore choreography, teaching and even performing from a completely different perspective. 

By using communities of practice as a network tool, I am exposing myself to a wide variety of different people.I am able to establish connections with the professional Musical Theatre industry, as well as wide teaching pool. It allows me to draw knowledge from many different places and learn through shared experience.


So I don't know about you, but my brain feels slightly fuzzy from all this reflecting ! As I said at the beginning this blog was a way for me to document my discoveries about this topic. I guess I didn't realise quite how much I had learnt about my professional network until I wrote it all down! A definite realisation as to how far I have come on this course in such a small space of time...