Trained at: The National Ballet School
Presently: Freelance, currently seeking company employment
What was the most significant creative or artistic challenge you faced during your studies, and how did you navigate it? What did you learn from that experience?
The most significant creative challenge I had during my full-time training at The National Ballet School was when I began working on a new form of contemporary dance with teacher Adrian Ricks. At first, I found this style daunting, as I had to embrace a whole new form of movement that did not come naturally. Fortunately, Adrian helped me understand that not everything in dance has to have clean-cut classical style, and there's a strange beauty in unique lines. Challenges like this helped me to realise that some things in dance require more persistence, and it’s okay to make mistakes. It took me a while to grasp, but the faculty at the National and the guest teachers created a space where I felt safe to explore while I learned and had fun with my work.
Did you learn anything unexpected about yourself through doing your full-time studies?
The most unexpected lesson that came from my full-time studies was learning to get out of my own head and trust my skills enough to express the movement. The training that I had at previous dance schools was so focused on technical “perfection” that my dancing had lost all its artistic quality and authenticity. The positive guidance from the teachers at the National has rekindled my artistry and guided me to trust my skill set enough to explore the freedom in expression. Damian Smith especially, has been my greatest mentor to help me create life within my dancing again. Thanks to him, expressing myself through my dancing is my favourite part of ballet, and you’ll never catch me dancing without feeling again.
Follow:
Dancer: @jessica_latto
Dance School: @thenationalballetschool
Photographers: @ampimages and @bjoern.photography