Dance teacher
In 2007, I made the decision that I wanted dance full time. After researching the available courses I decided to audition for the Victorian College of the Arts, Bachelor of Dance.
The first part of the audition was a ballet class which I felt confident with as I had extensive ballet training under Dianne Parrington.
After this came a contemporary class with which I had no formal experience, so I was quite nervous. The exercises felt very foreign but I just tried to use all the visual and verbal prompts the teacher provided to help me keep up.
Then came an improvision session where very minimalistic music was played and we had the chance to experiment with movement. I felt quite self-conscious; however I just focused on what I was doing rather than those around me.
Finally we had a discussion about the potential that dance held as a career; that performing was one avenue but then so was choreography, dance education, dance research, etc. This was something very unique to this audition.
It’s now 2014 and I am a registered Royal Academy of Dance Ballet teacher, RAD Vic Panel Member and the coordinator of a successful VCE Dance program. I teach 30 hours and over 200 male and female students a week and I love my job!
Auditioning for VCA was an intimidating experience in many ways but it broadened my perception of dance. It was the first time I really became aware of the different avenues that were available aside from performing itself.
The staff I encountered on that day also struck me as so passionate about educating and inspiring the next generation. That is something that has resonated with me and influenced my decision to teach others.
This article was first published in the June-July 2014 issue of Dance Australia magazine.