Being a dance graduate in the class of 2020 has had some unique challenges. Thanks to COVID-19 having had a huge impact on the dance industry, being a new graduate and trying to get hired as a professional dancer is more difficult than ever. Dance jobs- and ballet jobs in particular- have always been highly competitive. However the pandemic and lockdowns have brought entirely new challenges, such as online dance auditions (remember this time last year, when we’d never heard the phrase “audition via Zoom”?!). That’s why certain parts of our online application, such as the audition photographs, have now become even more important, because we often can’t be seen in-person.
Mental Health in Dance: leading the conversation with Hannah Friebel & Sincerely Survivor
2020 has been a strange and challenging year for the dance community. We have faced the closure of theatres, studios, companies and schools. The cancellation of performances, classes, rehearsals, workshops and programmes. The validity of dance as a profession has been called into question. Our industry has been under political and economic threat. Many have…
I Gatecrashed the Royal Ballet School Summer Intensive (and it was one of the best things I’ve done)
Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, SO many things have been cancelled in dance this year, including performances, classes, and of course summer intensives. It’s been super tough, and that’s something I’m going to discuss in more depth in a future post! However, we’re fortunate that some events and programmes were moved online, and one of…
Is this the best unique dance piece to come out of the pandemic? Dancing at Dusk: The Rite of Spring
Whilst I am writing this, I am on day 135 of lockdown. After more than four months of staying at home, taking ballet classes on Zoom, submitting all of my third year university assignments online, and only really leaving the house to do the food shopping and walk the dog, it feels very strange to…
Claudia Dean World LIVE Review & First Impressions
Today’s post is one that I know people have been looking forward to for a little while- my honest thoughts on Claudia Dean’s brand new online platform. I took the Class With Claudia summer intensive in London last summer, and in those three days I learned so many amazing corrections and exercises that transformed my…
Dance Studio Photoshoot
Hi dancers! I hope that you’re all holding up OK during this very unusual time. Here in the UK we’re beginning a second week of enforced quarantine, but for most of us we are actually entering the third week. I’m really glad that just before all of this happened, I had the opportunity to do…
Dancing During Quarantine: Why Doing Barre In Your Kitchen Isn’t Enough
Hi dancers! What a very strange time we’re experiencing right now. With many countries experiencing some form of lockdown, most of us are finding ourselves having to work from home. As dancers, working from home unfortunately isn’t as simple as logging in remotely from our laptops and sitting by the phone. Most people’s home environments…
How ‘Message In A Bottle’ proves you can be an incredible dancer with the body you have (not the body you think you should have)
Hi dancers! So sorry about the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. I have been dealing with the loss of one of my teachers and it has been a difficult time. I will write about this in a little more detail eventually, but not yet. In the meantime, though, I’m happy to…
Secret London: Barbican Conservatory
Hi dancers! I really hope that you have been enjoying my Secret London series. I’ve been posting dance photo galleries here for a couple of years now, but this series is a way for me to add another element and share with you some of the places I love in my home city. I’m trying…
Defiance in the face of Brexit at Sadlers Wells
Maybe in years to come, people will ask me what I was doing on the night the UK left the EU. I’ll be proud to say that I was at the Sadlers Wells theatre in London, embracing a diverse programme of dance featuring dancers and styles from all around the world. As the last few…