Guest Post: 4 Ways To Think Ahead During Your Dance Training
14th August 2018
Guest blog by NATALIE DODD
Natalie graduated from Rambert School in 2013 and has since gone on to work with Mark Bruce, English National Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company and Alexandra Green Dance.
1. Take notice of opportunities. I would urge new students to grab as many opportunities as they can wholeheartedly. There have been countless experiences I have had that at the time, I would never have predicted the impact they have had on me or the contacts and skills they have provided me with. You never know where something is going to lead and the more you experience, the more your identity can be sculpted.
2. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Dance artists are some of the most giving and enthusiastic people on the planet and most are eager to share what they have learnt. The knowledge of and advice from the people around me was my biggest support and it continues to be so with the individuals I currently work with.
3. Don’t undervalue the variety of training. Be aware that the training you gain can be directly utilised in various avenues of work. All that you learn will equip you as a dancer, a teacher, a choreographer, a director… and you can have more than one of these roles at one time. Rambert graduates are open-minded, strong willed, hard working, innovative and big-hearted artists whose attributes are valuable to any industry.
4. Finally, stay connected to yourself and your interests. Dedicate time to having space from the intensity of training. Once you leave, you will realise that a healthy balance between hard work and alternative enjoyment is essential to your happiness. The most unlikely, perhaps non-dance related things will provide you with fresh inspiration and rejuvenation. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people and work together to carve the dance industry’s journey onwards.
For things to have come full circle and to be now working at Rambert is a hugely satisfying and fulfilling feeling. It is truly special to be giving back to the School that shaped who I have become.