Here is the link, please enjoy!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140620075@N08/
Monday, 29 February 2016
My Flickr Profile
I have set up a Flickr account in order to share photos that display the work I have done in my career so far. Hopefully you enjoy what I have to show! The photos I have so far hopefully serve as a taster for what my page will eventually become as I plan to add much more to my page as the course goes on.
Here is the link, please enjoy!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140620075@N08/
Here is the link, please enjoy!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140620075@N08/
Friday, 26 February 2016
Technology and its Effect on the Dance World
Whilst reading through my module handbooks and reader, I notice there is a lot of emphasis on technology and the internet. That would make sense considering that I am taking part in an away learning course and many of these tools, such as the internet, social media and online conference calls are essential to my involvement in the process. My ability to use Skype in order to stay in contact with my course supervisor for example is extremely useful. It allows me to be able to have those immediate interactions with another person in order to help better communicate and stay in touch with my progress on the course.
I wanted to take this moment to link these themes and ideas with how things like social media etc. has affected the dance world and see whether I think that it is making a positive or negative impact on different aspects of dance.
To start, I think that technology has been exceedingly helpful for performers in order to create a profile for themselves and be able to create networks that can be very beneficial for their careers. One example of creating a profile is the ability to find websites designed for both dancers and employers seeking employment/employees. These sites allow dancers to upload CV's, photos and videos. You can advertise yourself within certain fields and you can let potential employers know what sort of work you are seeking. On the other side of things, theatres and companies can browse these profiles and also let dancers know if auditions are being held or if they even are seeking anyone to work for them. There are several sites like these but one of particular note I'd like to share is Network Dance. Here is a screenshot of my own Network Dance profile.
I've found this website to be particularly effective in keeping me informed on upcoming auditions and contracts that are going within various companies. I will receive regular emails letting me know what jobs are going that match the criteria I have listed within my profile e.g. classical ballet performance work.
This leads me on to my next point that the internet has been very beneficial for companies and choreographers in order to let the world know what work they are doing and what repetoire they have going on. This is useful in two ways. First of all it makes the institutions more accessible to the public and can help draw in the crowds. Second of all it can attract dancers seeking employment as they may be drawn to a certain company's repetoire or facilities. In this day and age it is debatable that going to the theatre for entertainment isn't as popular as it once was. Harnessing the internet and social media in order to gain exposure I believe is a great way to maintain a healthy flow of audience members.
As well as just being able to use the internet as a platform for advertising, it has been proven to be a very useful tool in gathering feedback. Certain websites can make it very accessible for theatre goers to inform theatres, companies and choreographers on what they would like to see and be able to hint at what types of shows may be most successful.
So far I have been very praising of technology's affect on the dance world (and the business world in general for that matter). I also have a few points that may expose another angle on technology.
Many dancers and companies will use video cameras to record shows and rehearsals. This can prove to be very useful for the sake of documenting choreography and being able to teach new dancers certain works. I would personally argue that the use of cameras can slightly change choreography over time. Because the camera records exactly what it sees and because we're only human, that will include every mistake also which could have a knock on effect to new dancers learning parts, essentially acting like a big game of Chinese whispers with choreography! Prior to video cameras there were various forms of dance notation. One example which is arguably the main method still in circulation is called Benesh. It works on staves like music would and documents exactly what the dancer is performing. Here is an example of Benesh with the image of a dancer above representing the positions that have been notted below.
Despite the precision of notation, many companies may not have the funds or desire even to hire an annotator so the ability to use video cameras can be a very cheap and easy solution to documenting dance.
One last thought about social media is that it makes it far easier for an employer to learn about someone via their online presence. Many of us take very different approaches to how we present ourselves on a website such as Facebook compared to how we would on a professional site such as Network Dance or LinkedIn. A potential employer could very well search for someone's private social media profiles in order to make a judgement on whether they would like to hire such a person. That poses certain ethical questions as to how much access should an employer have and how much information should be shared between an employer and employee.
Despite raising positive and negative points on the subject, I think overall technology has been great for the dance world. There are arguments for and against old methods versus the new ones but essentially it has allowed much easier networking and profiling among dancers and companies. There is much freedom and access to information but in such a situation many of us may have to be careful with just how much we share!
I wanted to take this moment to link these themes and ideas with how things like social media etc. has affected the dance world and see whether I think that it is making a positive or negative impact on different aspects of dance.
To start, I think that technology has been exceedingly helpful for performers in order to create a profile for themselves and be able to create networks that can be very beneficial for their careers. One example of creating a profile is the ability to find websites designed for both dancers and employers seeking employment/employees. These sites allow dancers to upload CV's, photos and videos. You can advertise yourself within certain fields and you can let potential employers know what sort of work you are seeking. On the other side of things, theatres and companies can browse these profiles and also let dancers know if auditions are being held or if they even are seeking anyone to work for them. There are several sites like these but one of particular note I'd like to share is Network Dance. Here is a screenshot of my own Network Dance profile.
I've found this website to be particularly effective in keeping me informed on upcoming auditions and contracts that are going within various companies. I will receive regular emails letting me know what jobs are going that match the criteria I have listed within my profile e.g. classical ballet performance work.
This leads me on to my next point that the internet has been very beneficial for companies and choreographers in order to let the world know what work they are doing and what repetoire they have going on. This is useful in two ways. First of all it makes the institutions more accessible to the public and can help draw in the crowds. Second of all it can attract dancers seeking employment as they may be drawn to a certain company's repetoire or facilities. In this day and age it is debatable that going to the theatre for entertainment isn't as popular as it once was. Harnessing the internet and social media in order to gain exposure I believe is a great way to maintain a healthy flow of audience members.
As well as just being able to use the internet as a platform for advertising, it has been proven to be a very useful tool in gathering feedback. Certain websites can make it very accessible for theatre goers to inform theatres, companies and choreographers on what they would like to see and be able to hint at what types of shows may be most successful.
So far I have been very praising of technology's affect on the dance world (and the business world in general for that matter). I also have a few points that may expose another angle on technology.
Many dancers and companies will use video cameras to record shows and rehearsals. This can prove to be very useful for the sake of documenting choreography and being able to teach new dancers certain works. I would personally argue that the use of cameras can slightly change choreography over time. Because the camera records exactly what it sees and because we're only human, that will include every mistake also which could have a knock on effect to new dancers learning parts, essentially acting like a big game of Chinese whispers with choreography! Prior to video cameras there were various forms of dance notation. One example which is arguably the main method still in circulation is called Benesh. It works on staves like music would and documents exactly what the dancer is performing. Here is an example of Benesh with the image of a dancer above representing the positions that have been notted below.
Despite the precision of notation, many companies may not have the funds or desire even to hire an annotator so the ability to use video cameras can be a very cheap and easy solution to documenting dance.
One last thought about social media is that it makes it far easier for an employer to learn about someone via their online presence. Many of us take very different approaches to how we present ourselves on a website such as Facebook compared to how we would on a professional site such as Network Dance or LinkedIn. A potential employer could very well search for someone's private social media profiles in order to make a judgement on whether they would like to hire such a person. That poses certain ethical questions as to how much access should an employer have and how much information should be shared between an employer and employee.
Despite raising positive and negative points on the subject, I think overall technology has been great for the dance world. There are arguments for and against old methods versus the new ones but essentially it has allowed much easier networking and profiling among dancers and companies. There is much freedom and access to information but in such a situation many of us may have to be careful with just how much we share!
Saturday, 20 February 2016
CV's Old and New
I thought it would interesting to take a look at my very first CV and compare it to what my CV would look like now. Admittedly it hasn't been updated in a while so this will a good opportunity to include my most recent experiences and gain a new perspective in how far I have come as a professional dancer since graduating.
Here are the main details of my very first CV...
Currently studying at Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet and have strong classical ballet technique with additional experience in Jazz (Mattox), Contemporary (Graham, Cunningham). Further proficient knowledge of Tap and Flamenco.
Here are the main details of my very first CV...
Personal
Profile
Currently studying at Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet and have strong classical ballet technique with additional experience in Jazz (Mattox), Contemporary (Graham, Cunningham). Further proficient knowledge of Tap and Flamenco.
Education
and Qualifications
2004-2011 Elmhurst School for Dance
National Diploma in Professional Dance
RAD Advanced 1: 77/100
Passed A-Level Dance and English Language and Literature
GCSE grades: 1 A* 6 B’s 4 C’s
Most Achievement (Upper School Man) 2009 (Artistic Prize)
National Diploma in Professional Dance
RAD Advanced 1: 77/100
Passed A-Level Dance and English Language and Literature
GCSE grades: 1 A* 6 B’s 4 C’s
Most Achievement (Upper School Man) 2009 (Artistic Prize)
2010 Giselle (Peasant
Pas de Deux), Sir Peter Wright, ‘Reach4Dance’ Outreach
Coppélia (Combat), Sir Peter Wright, Elmhurst Theatre
Swan Lake (Czardas,Pollaka), Sir Peter Wright, Virginia USA (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Orpheus Suite (Apollo), David Bintley, Elmhurst School Theatre
Swan Lake (Pas de Quatre), Fredrick Ashton, Elmhurst Theatre
Coppélia (Combat), Sir Peter Wright, Elmhurst Theatre
Swan Lake (Czardas,Pollaka), Sir Peter Wright, Virginia USA (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Orpheus Suite (Apollo), David Bintley, Elmhurst School Theatre
Swan Lake (Pas de Quatre), Fredrick Ashton, Elmhurst Theatre
2009 Cyrano
(Cook), David Bintley, Birmingham Hippodrome, Sadlers Wells, UK Tour (BRB)
2008 Young Persons
Guide to the Orchestra, Patrick Hinson, Elmhurst Theatre
Laurencia, Errol Pickford (after Chaboukiani), Elmhurst Theatre
30 x 10 in 4, Robin Cousins, Elmhurst Theatre
Laurencia, Errol Pickford (after Chaboukiani), Elmhurst Theatre
30 x 10 in 4, Robin Cousins, Elmhurst Theatre
Other dance experience includes training with Irek Mukhamedov,
attending the Royal Ballet Mid-Associates, Performing with the London
Children’s Ballet in Vanessa Fenton’s ‘A Little Princess’ and David Fielding’s
‘The Canterville Ghost’, Performing in Birmingham Symphony Hall and Town Hall.
Also attended the Dance Forward, White Lodge, Wells and International Ballet
Masterclasses Prague Summer/ Easter schools.
As I'm looking back on it now I'm noticing how much information can probably be removed. Many of you will know that when you're looking for work as a student it's very difficult to find enough things to write about yourself when at this stage in your career, you'll have little to no professional experience yet! I was very fortunate to tour with Birmingham Royal Ballet whilst studying and I feel that that is noteworthy. Listing the roles I have performed in the school theatre however, might not be deemed so important anymore!
I have now spent some time amending my CV, here is the revised and up to date version.
I have now spent some time amending my CV, here is the revised and up to date version.
Personal Profile
Currently working as a ballet artist at Teater Vanemuine in
Tartu, Estonia and have strong classical ballet technique with additional
experience in Jazz (Mattox), Contemporary (Graham, Cunningham). Further
proficient knowledge of Tap and Flamenco with experience in Irish dance and
acrobatics.
Education and Qualifications
Elmhurst School for Dance (2004-2011)
National Diploma in Professional Dance
RAD Advanced 1: 77/100
A-Level Dance and English Language and Literature
GCSE grades: 1 A* 6 B’s 4 C’s
Most Achievement (Upper School Man) 2009 and 2011 (Artistic Prize)
Benesh Movement Notation: Score reading for Dancers (Passed with Honours)
National Diploma in Professional Dance
RAD Advanced 1: 77/100
A-Level Dance and English Language and Literature
GCSE grades: 1 A* 6 B’s 4 C’s
Most Achievement (Upper School Man) 2009 and 2011 (Artistic Prize)
Benesh Movement Notation: Score reading for Dancers (Passed with Honours)
Pre-Graduation experience
Toured with Birmingham Royal Ballet:
·
Cyrano, David Bintley, UK Tour (2009)
·
Swan Lake, Sir Peter Wright, Virginia USA Tour (2010)
·
Slaughter on 10th Avenue, George
Balanchine, UK Tour (2011)
·
The Sleeping Beauty, Sir Peter Wright, Japan Tour (2011)
Selected to dance in Robin Cousins’ 30 x 10 in 4 (2008)
Peasant Pas de Deux, Giselle, Sir Peter Wright, ‘Reach4Dance’ outreach programme (2010)
Peasant Pas de Deux, Giselle, Sir Peter Wright, ‘Reach4Dance’ outreach programme (2010)
Professional Experience
Ballet:
·
Petter (Pähklipureja/Nutcracker) Pär Isberg
·
Lead Peasant couple (Onegin) Vasily Medvedev
·
Bluebird Pas de Deux (Uinuv Kaunitar/Sleeping Beauty) Pär
Isberg
·
Japanese Pas de Duex (Casanova) David Sonnenbluck
·
Paparazzi, Drunk Solo (La Dolce Vita) Georgio Mada
·
Pas de Cinque, Lead Saracen (Raimonda) Jelena Pankova
Musicals and other:
·
Evita (Georg Malvius)
·
Mary Poppins (Georg Malvius)
·
Cabaret (Roman Hovenbitzer)
·
GO- Mäng Kahele (Teet Kask)
·
Thriller (Cedric Lee Bradley)
Straight Up Rhythm (Matthew Jordan)
One thing I remembered was that my first CV had been written at the beginning of my last school year on the basis that I would be spending that year auditioning. As a result there were some details missing that would have appeared later on in the year for me. It's been much more satisfying though being able to list roles and performances I have done professionally as it feels like these roles mentioned carry much more weight than just stating what you learnt at school. I feel that a potential employer would value professional experience the most and I view the last section of my current CV as the most important.
It's been interesting being able to compare the two CV's and I like the fact that I feel more legitimate as a dancer being able to see a list of achievements I have made since leaving school and performing out in the professional world.
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Introducing Myself
Hello all!My name is Ben and this shall be my very first blog post. It seems like quite a daunting idea as I sit here thinking about it. Despite my presence on social media I wouldn't consider myself one to share all that much about myself online so this experience feels very new and unusual to me. Having said that I can imagine that this will be very fun and a great way to communicate with my fellow coursemates.
Where to begin?
Well, I started dancing classical ballet at the age of 10. As a child I wanted to be an actor so my parents took me to after school classes that covered performing arts as a whole. After some time of singing, Tap/Jazz dancing and acting lessons, my teacher asked me if I wanted to take up Ballet classes. I had mixed feelings to begin with, especially with thoughts about whether I would be teased at school and having to deal with the stereotype that ballet was 'girly'. She managed to convince me though and after my first lesson I was hooked!
 |
| at London Children's Ballet rehearsal |
I continued with my after school lessons and began taking classes in London on weekends at the Royal Ballet School as a Mid-Associate. Through that I got to appear on the Royal Opera House stage as a mouse in Ashton's 'Cinderella' and I got valuable performing experience dancing with London Children's Ballet in their productions of 'A Little Princess' and 'The Canterville Ghost'. After a while it became clear that if I were to pursue a professional career in dance, I would need to train at a vocational school.
I did a few auditions for schools and was offered a place at Elmhurst School for Dance in Birmingham. Leaving home to go to boarding school at 13 was quite scary but ultimately very exciting. I spent the next six years studying in Birmingham and got some fantastic opportunities in my later years to tour with Birmingham Royal Ballet around the UK but also America and Japan! I graduated Elmhurst in 2011.
 |
| 'Raimonda' choreographed by Jelena Pankova |
Aside from dancing I love to play music. My main instrument is guitar but I have been known to sing and play drums. I like to think that assists me with my coordination and musicality which is very handy as a dancer. I'm also an avid fan of video games but I do think that that side of me shall be taking more of a backseat as I embark on my BAPP course!
Whilst the thought of restarting academic studies is a little peculiar, I'm really looking forward to exploring who and where I am in my career and also connecting with my peers and coursemates during these next modules.Here's to the journey ahead!
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