Task 3c: Sources Of Information

From birth we are encouraged to grow by learning through a variety of sources. The information we gather within our lives is what creates who we become and the importance of receiving constant information is no different when it comes to approaching our professional practice. As a dancer I am always having to keep in constant awareness of what is happening within the dancing world whether it is a new technique, choreography or audition so that I can reach my full potential within my career. In task 3 we are encouraged to explore which forms of information are the most important to our practice. I have been able to define which possible ways of gaining information is possible.

Internet

Possibly argued as one of largest methods in how our current generation receives information. The internet has become of huge importance into how I find out about nearly everything to do with my career. The phrase "google it" has become extremely common and I must admit that if I wish to find out something quickly this is the main way I would go about it.

In terms of my profession I use the internet to access the range of social networking websites I use to learn of any upcoming auditions as well it being the main way I am contacted about any of my successful applications. As I have previously discussed, I also use different social networking sites to keep up to date with my personal life.

Recently I have used the internet to gather information about up what is happening in the ballet world through the popular media sharing site "YouTube". The ability to be able to access videos on demand of almost anything that has been published is of great use when trying to find certain works as well as to guide with any choreographic help I may need.

You do, however, need to be careful with information on the internet and be integral about the credibility of the information you have read. A popular website for gathering "facts", for example, is wikipedia. This website can be very helpful for most subjects although the realisation that anyone can in fact post their views on the topic. Making its credibility quite low and therefore not often used by myself.

Communication

Communication is vital in my practice so that I am aware of is happening in the dancing world.

The forms I use mainly for communication are my phone for texting and calling and emails. Letter writing has become far too slow as many people need to know the answers to their questions almost immediately. Luckily I am able to access my email on my phone so that I can reply just as instantly as a text, which has made a big difference to whether I get the job I applied for as it can be about speedy organisation.

In terms of my learning, face to face communication throughout my training was of the greatest importance. It is the through having our teachers tell  us in person how we should go about various movements and seeing their live demonstrations that we are able to improve so rapid and thoroughly. Without this kind of communication much detail could get lost like a "chinese whispers" effect and so not giving us,  or particularly me, such an improvement. Once we have obtained the amount of knowledge by graduation, everyday contact is not so highly important  but I still have the strong opinion that though it may no longer be vital, keeping up such a high improvement rate as in training can only be achieved by this form of communication and no technology would ever be able to replace it.

Documenting

When it comes to my career, keeping on top of things is extremely important for remembering certain audition or working days. To make sure I do not miss anything I am booked for, I am a religious keeper of a daily diary.  In this I log everything I am supposed and wish to achieve that day so there is no room for error. Although this is not me learning new information , it is reaffirming important aspects of my practice and so comes with the same importance.

Recently, due to this course, I have also taken up journal writing. The information I can gain from keeping my daily reflections of my practice in written form allows me to look back at my previous work and take from it anything I can to improve in the future. I do struggle with journal writing daily and so only do it when I feel necessary but as I was advised by another member of the course to keep reflecting for future use, I have found this very beneficial in terms of my professional growth.

Experience

There is no denying that the best way to learn from anything in life, is through experience. Experience is a word that is given to young dancers in their final years of training in order to encourage to seek out new things and be a part of everything possible in terms of our profession.

The experience I have gained throughout my training, such as the teaching, performing and choreographing, has lead me to become a wise professional and I still try to be apart of many new experiences to learn further.

The experiences that I have learnt from since graduation is auditioning, open classes, company classes, charity productions and other projects as well as on going company work which with every new choreography learnt comes new experiences and further education in a ever growing profession.

Literature

In my opinion, one of the most traditional ways in which we gather most information in through publications. This includes books, newspapers and magazines. Newspapers and magazines are ideal for keeping updated on what is happening in the world around us. Many magazines also being available specifically for those interested in dance.

The Dancing Times is a magazine subscription I have used in the past, especially when I was in training and is very interesting for learning about new findings within the dancing world. The information I received from the articles also came in very handy when it came to doing my diploma course previously to the BAPP I am now a part of.

Networking: LinkedIn?

On looking further into potential professional networks I could use I came across LinkedIn.

Defined as a "social networking website for people in professional occupations" I was wondering if anyone used this website or found it beneficial to careers within dance?

3a: Personal Vs Professional Networks

I noticed that fellow blogger Bethany Bullman had included Facebook as one of the many networks she uses for her profession and I found this posed an interesting question.

Can you benefit from joining you personal and professional networks?

In a previous post I wrote about the range of networks I use or have considered in terms of bettering my career as a professional ballet dancer and the importance I have found in keeping my personal life away from these networks. But am I being too strict about this?

Bethany opened up the idea to me of using Facebook to connect with the many people I know that are in the same profession for advice. Much like using "Word of Mouth" which is what I consider to be one of the networks I currently use and therefore Facebook would be a perfect addition to my way of doing this.

I realise that Facebook does offer very strict and specific choices in terms of privatising our profiles but for some reason I have trouble finding it ideal to use it as a professional network. It comes with the argument that we must be careful about what we publicly or even privately post as we never really know who may be able to read this and so it involving anything profesional with my personal life may not be the wisest decision.

I already use Flickr to contain an album of what I have done in my career but I also have an Instagram account that is private and purely for my personal entertainment.

I have seen that many businesses and professionals use these networks to promote their companies and a much wider scale than any smaller advertising could do. Also many companies use websites such as these to keep costs of owning a store down. However, I feel that in terms of my profession, given that I am new and not exactly established within it, keeping a distance between these parts of my life is the safest way for the time being.

I am interested to know if like Bethany who uses these social networking sites on a professional level and whether my views towards this is too strict and infact holding me back.

Task 3a: Networking

Being in the world of professional dance, especially within this current economic climate, networking has become one of the most important ways in which to find work. I am a true believer that in this chosen profession "who you know" can be extremely vital for staying in employment and I use many networking forms to stay in the so called loop.

Network Dance 

This website was introduced to me whilst I was in my final year of training and comes with extreme appeal as unlike many networks for dancers, it is free. Consisting of the ability to create a personal profile where in which you can upload your CV, photos and videos for other members and in fact anyone with internet access to see. The greatest advantage of using this site, however, is that daily new posts are published with worldwide auditions, also covering most styles of dance. The added option to search specifically for certain genres of dance making the search hugely simple. Without websites such as these, knowledge about auditions would be near impossible.

Most recently I have used this site to look at specific companies I have been interested in as the network is also used as a database in which worldwide companies keep their contact information. The opportunity to be able to contact directors and companies individually is always beneficial as you then create a more personal relationship when its comes to wanting to show that certain director how specifically interested you are in working with their company.

I must admit that I do not use this network to its full potential as the fact that anyone who "googles" my name would be able to see what ever I publish about myself to not be ideal. I like to be able to keep some distance between what I do in my dancing career and what I do outside of it so that is impossible to effect any professional opportunities. I have always felt it is better to be safe than sorry on this subject.

Dancers Pro

Much like Network Dance, Dancers Pro is a website aimed to help dancers,choreographers, photographers, teachers and directors advertise themselves or their businesses on a much larger scale with very little difficulty. There are two types of memberships that can be chosen to suit the users need consisting of "Dancer" or "Job Post". Both of these choices are in fact free but to be able to apply for any of the posted jobs, a lot of them not being advertised on free websites like Network Dance, a monthly charge has to be paid.

I only discovered this website after my graduation and it is the main source of networking I use. This is maybe due to the fact that I have to pay for it and therefore wish to make good use of it but also most of the work I have done outside of company work since my graduation, such as the flash mob that I used as my first post on this blog, has been due to responding to advertisements on this website.

The profiles published on dancers pro have the same amount of privacy as Network Dance in the sense that your profile can be accessed by any domain and so I limit the amount of media I allow to be published. However one the most ideal aspects of this website is that photos and pre written cover letters can be stored privately, making applying for advertised work a lot quicker and easier if I am on the go.

Dance Europe

As well as a website that posts upcoming auditions. Dance Europe enables you to purchase a book containing almost every ballet company and contact globally.

This opens up the option to network and promote yourself via email.

Through the entirety of my final year in training, I sent a large amount of emails to companies I was interested in working with alongside my classmates that did the same.

The importance of writing the emails personally yet formally is vital as every vocational schools graduates are competing for the same attention from the directors.

Word of Mouth

Throughout my time in the dancing world it has become extremely apparent that although it is a global profession, oddly everybody within it is connected somehow.

This realisation can be used to a great advantage by dancers as it enables us to continuously  learn how to improve within the career. Since I have moved to the london area, this being the best location to pursue dance within the UK in my opinion, I have found my connections have grown  immensely and in turn I have found myself finding employment with much more ease than before I relocated.

It is also always greatly encouraging to meet those that are in the same position as your self and learn from each others experiences.

Having classmates that are placed all over the world, speaking to them about what they have experienced in their career and taking from that the knowledge of how I further better my own pursual of professional dancing is probably the most beneficial form of networking in terms of self improvement rather than direct employment.

Agents

I do not as yet have an agent as it is usually used by dancers who wish to work more towards the commercial and musical theatre sides of dancing and my current preferred genre is ballet. Although I can see the benefits of having at least one agent in terms of self promotion, particularly with these career paths.

I have previously in my career spoken with agents to learn about the benefits, most of which being the vast amount of knowledge and connections they usually have about upcoming auditions and opportunities that may never be advertised on public or even charged websites. Many auditions particularly for musical theatre and cruise ships can come with the option for auditions made especially for those who have agents. This of course would make your employment chances much greater as you are not amongst the masses auditioning (hundreds have been known to turn up to open auditions in London).

Blogging

Blogging is the newest form of networking I have been introduced to by taking part in this course. I am aware that many successful and famous dancers write blogs regularly so that readers can see how they are progressing in their career and give advice based upon their own experiences to future generations of hopeful dancers.

Personally other than learning interesting information about these professionals lives, it is in writing your own blog that I can see the most benefit. I am still very new to this type of networking although I can see the potential in voicing your own opinions and questions to a wide audience so that the accumulation of others experiences can help with your own professional growth.

My Ideal Network

It would be hard to say what my ideal network would be as the all of the above which I use benefit my career in very different ways. I also like the fact that I have to use more than one form of networking as I feel finding the "perfect" form that had it all would in fact limit you as you would no longer be searching for ways to improve your networking further.

I would, however, rather have more privatisation when it comes to publishing personal information such as my body dimensions, photos and videos as when it comes to applying for certain employment it is sometimes best to not show certain past experiences that would not appeal to what they are ideally looking for in an employer. Having a network that was useful and free would also be perfect but I understand I am being a little silly when it comes to the idea of that.

Improving my Networks

In terms of my use of the networks above, I need to look into using them to their full potential to widen my database and knowledge further.

Task 2b: Continued

Today I took part in a filming at Bournemouth University as I spoke about in a previous post.

As part of reflective practice I have created another mind map of how I feel the filming has gone. This time, however I thought I would try to find a way of making a mind map online so that it is clearer to read as well as store for looking back at a later date for further reflection. 

I managed to find a very useful "App" that enabled to make a mind map quickly and easily. Although this is a form of journal writing I wouldn't usually think of, it does help with the difficulty I have in bringing out all my feelings towards my practice. Using mind maps and traditional journal writing is probably my preferred depending on how deeply I wish to go into my reflections.

I realise that the picture above is very difficult to read. I had separated the main word of "Reflection" into the categories of:

-Dancing 

-Filming

-Choreography

-Emotion

With all my positive and negative feeling towards each category. By continuing to produce reflective mind maps I will be able to look back and see patterns in how I approach and what a achieve in my practice so that I can see how I can improve within my profession.

Here are some pictures of what I did in filming. Hopefully I will be able to publish the finished article soon after it has been edited.

2a: Reflective Journal (Continued)

Throughout task 2 I have been trying to get a grip on which journal writing style would best suit my style of thinking and bring out the most worthwhile results in terms of improving within my practice. I have experimented with a range of forms of reflecting and have found success in a couple.

Diagrams 

I have previously written about my experience in using mind maps which I have found the most helpful in terms exploring a wider range of my reflection. One of my biggest struggles with reflecting on my work is that I seem to limit my thought track and so the method of branching out of each new category further reflection was a huge help. I also experimented with drawing my own  graphs and creating them via an App called "SimpleMind+" which easily allows you to colour code, branch out and highlight each part of the diagram as well as keep a neat storage for future reference when looking at my broader reflection and improvement.

Lists

I have always used lists to organise everything in my practice, though I had never considered using lists as a style of writing a journal and the idea greatly interested me. Much like the diagrams, it allows opportunity to break down my days events into categories and then dive further into every aspect of them, which suits me best. Also, unlike traditional journal writing, it can be done very quickly and without fuss so that the key elements of my day can be analysed.

Evaluation

I used evaluation as a step with every method of journal writing I tried. The evaluation of my experiences and therefore what I can bring with me for the future of my practice being the most important and beneficial in my reflection. It also, of course being the hardest to explore further under the surface of my work. Through forcing myself to look into what I had learned or discovered within my profession, I feel as though I have been able to mature into a more critically thinking dancer. I have always been critical in the sense of choreography and making sure I am as precise as possible and so with this exercise I wanted to explore my practice on a more emotional level. This is something I feel I managed to achieve.

2b: Journal Writing Experience

I struggled with this task as it can be quite difficult to be able to publish something that is really never created with the intention to be shown to anyone else.

Instead what I have decided to to show is how I go about preparing for a filming day.

The day I have chosen is when I went to Bournemouth University to take part in the creation of television production.

Preparation 

Below is the information I have been sent about the filming day.

The link sent to me of the track that is going to be used on the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGoCtJzPHkU

As I am responsible for the choreography on the day I wanted to make sure I had notes of the possible movements i could do.

I thought I would try the format of using graphs to plan and reflect on this day as part of my exploration of the different ways in which I could write a reflective journal of my professional practice.

With this I have my choreographic notebook which contains all the work I have learnt in company work as well as what I create for other projects.

Whenever I am having to travel to dance I also always have my checklist of what I need for that day:

Specifics:

Black Leotard x2
Pink Tights x2
Legwarmers
Pointeshoes (Toe Pads)
Hair Pins
Bun Net

Extras

Warm Ups
Flat Shoes
Sewing Kit
Natural Make Up
Hairbrush
Choreography Book


All this is part of how I prepare for any work I am doing within dance depending what is expected of me on the day.

2c: Reflective Practice

Given that I spent the majority of last week in training for my work outside of the artistic world, it has been very interesting looking further into the unique process each mind takes when approaching learning from experience. This growth being one of the most important aspects in the progression of the brain and therefore of our entire existence.

It would be wrong to try and pinpoint the moment in each of our lives where we began the process of "learn by experience" as it will of been from birth itself. An example of this being that as a child, we fall a lot, even from merely standing,  the reason for this ranging from bad footing to over excitement. But do you find yourself falling as often now? If yes my deepest apologies but I'm almost certain it is a resounding no in most cases. The reason for this change being because as we have grown, we have learnt from experience how to be in control of our bodies. Progression to numerous ranges of movement including, in my case, dance choreography.

I remember  all too well taking some form of test so that we could discover our suited style of learning. Given to me in the categories of Visual, Audio and Kinesthetic so that we could revise with which ever process worked best for us for upcoming exams. This "V.A.K" unknown to me, being a break down created by Howard Gardner. Also being a fine example of being aware of a concept without knowing of it's origins.

In line with the notion that different learning techniques are beneficial to people dependant on their learning ability, David Kolb created a "Learning cycle". The cycle rotates between the main categories of "Acting...Valuing...Thinking...Deciding" to visually describe the steps that take place with gaining knowledge. What was interesting is that the one of the main reasons for him creating this cycle was that there is no first step in the process. Looking at the diagram we can decide where it is we each in fact start to learn and in turn continue the rest of the cycle in order. This being done usually completely subconsciously. Upon examining the diagram I came to the conclusion that my first step would be valuing. This section of the cycle breaks down to "Compare it with reality" and "Identify differences (problems)" as well as confirming the style of my learning is mainly "Reflective Observation" also known as visual learning.

I did, however, completely agree with the theories of Gardner who refers to learning styles as "lenses". Stating that it would be incorrect to label oneself to a singular learning style but instead embrace all possible procedures when learning from our experiences. Using the different methods as tools rather than a restriction. Being a dancer, I find this theory extremely important as improving movement and remembering choreography, indispensable skills in professional dance, would not be possible without the accumulation of various learning mechanisms. Although this is of course only necessarily true in my learning experience.

Both Donald Schon and Robert Kottcamp have discussed the theory of there being a specific difference between the learning that comes from having to immediately react within an experience, and being given the time the explore and adjust in order to improve. This being referred to as "Reflection-in-action" or "On-Line" and "Reflection-on-action" or "Off-Line" learning. Reflection-in- action being most suitable to myself as it refers to the example of having to change course or steps where appropriate when put into a live performing situation. An academic, however, needs the time to analyse and adjust work, just as I am having to do when writing this blog. This really brought to me a realisation that the type of learning that is most beneficial to a person will defer with their profession, and sometimes adapting to the profession might mean trying to adapt learning styles accordingly.

The reference of Tacit Knowledge, meaning a knowledge that is not possible to be conveyed through written or spoken word could not be more true in the performing arts world. Twyla Tharp's connection of Tacit Knowledge and "Muscle Memory" being a perfect example. Tharp's statement; "...movement doesn't need to accessed through conscious effort" is one that I am sure most performers would agree with. It is hard to describe how it is possible for ones body to work or move without specifically thinking about what mechanics are needed to achieve it, but it is a skill we manage to accomplish in the early stages of our training.

In terms of learning choreography, muscle memory also plays a huge part. Every dancer will have their own personal way of storing choreographic information, this being in relation to their prefered learning style. I have always benefited most from viewing a movement before repeating and eventually writing it down in the shortest form possible for future reference. In my recent work with a ballet company, for example, I was employed to learn all roles of the ballet and so I could not merely rely on muscle memory. In terms of my academic learning, and indeed getting to grips with new writing styles such as a blog, I have always been one to learn better by example. Researching into others work and with that finding my personal approach and strengths.

Reflecting on all aspects of our lives would be impossible to escape, but it is how we take these findings forward in the most valuable way that defines our professional and personal lives for both present and future. This notion being one I have never really considered to be as crucial and has definitely prompted me to be more critical of my experiences.

2a: Reflective Journal (First Impressions)

When I first started looking  at the tasks 2 I wasn't really sure how I was going to adapt to Journal writing and how it would actually benefit my growth with professional practice. Initially going into my writing a little apprehensive and I have to admit my first few "Dear Diary's" are extremely dull so thank goodness they're personal. Save you from the tedious task.

Through out my dancing life, and in fact through all aspects of our lives we are forced to think about what has happened or our decisions, reflect on their outcomes, and from that learn for future situations (well hopefully). Putting this reflection in to the form of writing, however, is something I have struggled with in the past and I am going to put it out straight there and blame my training for this.

For years I had to produce a mandatory "Dance Diary" daily where in which we had to reflect on our dance classes that day. Every day. From the age of 11 to 19. Yawn!

It is a known fact in the dancing world that the only way you can possibly improve or progress in your career is to self correct. This is taking all the years of training's worth of corrections and applying them to our work. Developing the ability to do this without the help of a teacher to take with us into our professional lives. This is something I have grown to do subconsciously and so having to go back to basics into writing was tough.

I am true believer that looking back on your day and taking from it as much as you can to progress in your professional life but in terms of my profession, there isn't necessarily something I would feel is good enough, for lack of a better phrase, to write each day. This mental barrier is something I have found difficult to brake.

I am interested to know how other people have found journal writing?

Am I missing some great epiphany that happens?

Any recommendations for helping to lose my Journal inhibitions would be greatly appreciated.

I have been toying with the suggested forms of documenting my daily reflections and I will share how I found them soon.

1b: Professional Communication Technologies

Being a part of a generation that uses the phrase "google it" for the explanation of practically anything I am all too aware of the ever developing cyber world we have become to find indispensable. As an avid and relatively well informed user of social networking sites for personal use, however, I had no idea of the versatility these sites could be used for from personal to professional publications. In particular the evolution of what I now know from Web 1.0 to 2.0 discussed in Reader 1.

The sheer fact that global communication can be achieved at the mere touch of a button on a mobile phone is a pretty amazing thought and the improvement of these technologies are still moving at a pace that the average public member will struggle to be able to keep up with.

I am particularly interested in the massive change that has occurred between Web 1.0 and 2.0 in the fact that, just as I am with this very blog, anyone can now publish their own work easily and efficiently (and even better for free!). The days of being limited to education without participation on the web are far behind us and now the joining of public thoughts and opinions through the internet opens up great possibilities in the growth of our society. The concept behind the improvement in Web 2.0 is shown diagrammatically in Tim O'Reilly's article "What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns And Business Models For The Next Generation Of Software" (2006) making the concept a little easier to grasp:

This "meme" shows that the aims behind Web 2.0 is to enable all who use the internet to publish, share, comment and interact with all types of information through sources such as youtube, blogger, google+ and flickr (all programmes that I have so far newly explored within the BAPP course) in order to improve our personal or professional needs.

I particularly enjoyed the quote that describes Web 2.0 as a "Social space for people, strangers and almost strangers with diverse backgrounds to come together as equals, as generators of ideas, to deliberate and act collectively" (Feenberg & Bakardjieva 2004). I feel a strong connection between this quote and how Web 2.0 has and will improve my career as a dancer. Quite recently a campaign was started for members of the performing world to protest against the unjust payment dancers were being offered for their work. An article was published on Facebook describing a situation where this had happened and in turn directed us to an online petition to show our collective anger. A fine example of how Web 2.0 can bring together the masses of dancers, being strangers, and form a strong, equally opinionated network.

Networking, in the terms of simply advertising yourself to possible employers has become much easier through the web. Dancing companies being all over the world and restriction of funds not enabling me to necessarily travel for auditions would have hindered my capabilities if it wasn't for video auditions, sent via youtube, which wouldn't have been possible with Web 1.0. 

Although the opportunities that come with Web 2.0 seem to weigh more beneficial than not, it is important to remember that sharing large amounts of information, or publishing your opinions on a worldwide public domain comes with a large amount of responsibility and risk if abused. Being sure to keep confidential information about yourself or your workplace is of high importance, such as the contact details on my CV that I blanked on my blog as well as any mention of establishments that would be wise to be left anonymous when publishing personal opinions or anecdotes. Remembering of course that you can never be certain who may be reading and whether it could affect your present or unforeseen future. In terms of our blogs, we are able to write about what we wish but I am of the opinion that any negativity or anger should be kept off public forums and left to the security of a personal journal. It is helpful however that many websites, such as facebook, give the user the option of privatizing within it to suit the our needs. 

Overall I am of the opinion that without the development of Web 2.0, the internet would not be as necessary to our lives (or mine in particular) for my educational, personal and professional needs and if continued to be used correctly and wisely will be a cyber relationship that will only grow with my further learning of its possibilities throughout this course. 

1d: Image Bank

Already being a frequent user of Facebook and Instagram to keep in touch with my friends and family (all of which are nicely dotted around the map) I am interested to explore what social networking or photo sharing sites would be suitable and helpful on a professional level.

As part of task 1d I have created a flickr account so that I can share images of what I have been up to.

Flickr:ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/berniebellp/

I haven't added any photos just yet as I'm not currently working on any projects right now and so im not sure where to begin. I will add pictures very soon so keep checking.

In terms of using images to further benefit my career I'm not entirely sure how my flickr will do this? Although I can see that having some sort of proof of the experience I have gained before and after graduation other than what is written in my CV would be an advantage when showing an employer. Especially with the development of using media for communication as Reader 1 is teaching me.

Also below is a link for my Network Dance website:
www.networkdance.com/Bernadette-Patterson


I use this website daily as companies and project managers across the globe post their availabilities and auditions. As well as this site in particular being free to use which is always helpful. My profile page contains the images that I use to send to employers and eventually (Once my laptop decides to play along) will also contain my newly updated CV.


I received my student card and handbooks in the post today which I am very excited about. I was struggling to really embrace my thoughts and opinions behind Reader 1 when reading off a screen and now can get really stuck in. Shall let you know of my reactions to it soon. 

1a: CV....Take 2.0

Although I have already posted my "Blog Profile" which is adapted and lengthened version of my CV, after looking at some of the CV's other participants of the course have posted and come to the conclusion that mine is in absolute need of a makeover. 

During my time in training we were given a so called "How To" on writing our CV's and I must admit that the one I use today is using the template. I now feel however that this is no longer acceptable for my professional life. 

Below I have inserted the pre and post amendment CV's so that you can see that difference...and hopefully prefer the latter.

Bernadette Patterson 

(Address)

_______________ (home), ____________ (mobile) 

E-mail _____________________________

Date of Birth _________

 Nationality British Height ______

Weight ______

Personal Profile 

Graduate of Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet. I have strong classical ballet technique with experience and further training in jazz (Mattox) and contemporary (Graham, Cunningham). Have received classical training from Samira Saidi (First Soloist, Birmingham Royal Ballet), Errol Pickford (Principal, Royal Ballet) and Victoria Marr (First Soloist, Birmingham Royal Ballet).

Education and Qualifications 

2004 – 2012 Elmhurst School for Dance National Diploma in Professional Dance
 RAD Advanced 2 Merit
 RAM Grade 5 Singing Merit
A Level English A
A Level Dance B
11 GCSE’s A*- B

 Performances

2012       Four Little Girls, Les Rendevous (Frederick Ashton)              
               Rich Man’s Frug, Sweet Charity (Bob Fossie/ Michelle Blair)

2011      Snowflakes, The Nutcracker, Vienna Festival Ballet        
              Waltz of the Flowers, The Nutcracker, Vienna Festival Ballet            Centerpointe Theatre,                                                                                                                      Dubai, UAE
              Diamond Variation, The Sleeping Beauty (Marius Petipa)        
             Aspirations (Samira Saidi) Sweetheart, Pineapple Poll (John Cranko)

2010      Concerto in G Minor (Anthony Sewell)

2009       Metal Motion (Dennie Wilson)

2008      Reach for the Sky (Samira Saidi)                                                        Birmingham Town                                                                                                                          Hall

2007      The Dream Birmingham Symphony (John Rigby/ Thorey Mountain)       Birmingham                                                                                                                                  Symphony Hall

2006 Midsummer Nights Dream Elmhurst Theatre (Irek Mukhamedov)

Skills and Interests 
Benesh Notation Reader (Commended)

References _______________________

What I like about this version is the clarity of it, and from those I have seen this is a key aspect of the CVso as not to confuse or irritate any potential employer reading. My main Issue's being, aside from it now being out of date that this show absolutely none of my personality as well as hardly any content showing the vast amount of experience I gained through a range of opportunities during my time in school.

I now present to you CV Number 2

Bernadette Patterson 

(Address)

_______________ (home), ____________ (mobile) 

E-mail _____________________________

Date of Birth _________

 Nationality British Height ______

Weight ______

Personal Profile 

As a recent graduate of  eight years of training at Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet I have been able to evolve into a confident young professional dancer. I have strong classical ballet technique with a variety of performance experience from school shows to professional performances. Further training in jazz (Mattox) and contemporary (Graham, Cunningham) have enabled me to become a versatile dancer, an aspect that is now extremely important due to the development of choreography. Having received classical training from Samira Saidi (First Soloist, Birmingham Royal Ballet), Errol Pickford (Principal, Royal Ballet) and Victoria Marr (First Soloist, Birmingham Royal Ballet) during the later stages of my training I have matured to be a hard working and determined dancer, passionate about performing and improving further throughout my professional career.

Education and Qualifications 

2004 – 2012 Elmhurst School for Dance National Diploma in Professional Dance
 RAD Advanced 2 Merit
 RAM Grade 5 Singing Merit
A Level English A
A Level Dance B
11 GCSE’s A*- B

Currently enrolled with Middlesex University studying BA Honors in Professional Practice

Company

2013 Vienna Festival Ballet

Performances

2013       Flash Mob (Breast Cancer Campaign)                                            Primark, Oxford Street,                                                                                                                London

2012       Four Little Girls, Les Rendevous (Frederick Ashton)              
               Rich Man’s Frug, Sweet Charity (Bob Fossie/ Michelle Blair)

2011      Snowflakes, The Nutcracker, Vienna Festival Ballet        
              Waltz of the Flowers, The Nutcracker, Vienna Festival Ballet            Centerpointe Theatre,                                                                                                                      Dubai, UAE
              Diamond Variation, The Sleeping Beauty (Marius Petipa)        
             Aspirations (Samira Saidi) Sweetheart, Pineapple Poll (John Cranko)

2010      Concerto in G Minor (Anthony Sewell)

2009       Metal Motion (Dennie Wilson)

2008      Reach for the Sky (Samira Saidi)                                                        Birmingham Town                                                                                                                          Hall

2007      The Dream Birmingham Symphony (John Rigby/ Thorey Mountain)       Birmingham                                                                                                                                  Symphony Hall

2006 Midsummer Nights Dream Elmhurst Theatre (Irek Mukhamedov)

Additional Experience

I have also attended the Prague Ballet Summer Masterclasses, working with Daria Klimentova (English National Ballet), Isabelle Ciaravola (Paris Opera Ballet), Christopher Hampson (English National Ballet) and many other influential professional dancers.

Skills and Interests 
Benesh Notation Reader (Commended)

In early 2013 I was given the opportunity to work with secondary school children who hadn't previously taken classical ballet in a workshop through Elmhurst. After demonstrating various aspects of a traditional ballet class I encouraged them to try some basic steps in order to improve their upcoming vocational dance project.

References _______________________

In this version of my CV i have tried to show the employer a little more about my personality without becoming informal or giving them useless information.

Usually with every CV I also send a cover letter to go with it so that it is then personal to the work I am applying for.

Is this CV an improvement?

Is it ok to be more informal in the Personal Profile section?

One thing that does worry me is that I was always advised at school to keep my CV to one page and was wondering is this important enough for me to have to cut down my renewed version slightly to keep it to one page. Was anyone else given this advice?

Any comments would be great as I am always wanting to build the CV that is more likely to get me the job!

Flash Mob

As promised, here is a link to the Flash Mob I took part in for Breast Cancer Campaign that I spoke about in a previous post...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZjjEi_kDCg

Make sure you get your pink out!

Wear it Pig!

Testing, Testing...

First of all I feel I should admit that this will be me losing my Blogging (is blogging the correct word? Oh help!) virginity as it were so please bare with me.

I figured a fitting premiere post should be about something I have recently done in my life that encompasses as many of my passions as possible, and nothing says that like the flash mob I was able to be a part of last Friday in order to advertise the Breast Cancer Campaign charity. 

Just in case you aren't familiar with what a flash mob is, the best way to explain is that a group of any possible number of people is positioned within any public area among completely unaware general members of the public, when those who have been appointed, break into dance. The best part about flash mobs is that it doesn't necessarily have to any point to it other than entertaining and surprising complete strangers, and I can tell you now I had so much fun finally being able to a part of the other side. This flash mob, for instance, being in London's Oxford Street Primark store advertising the Breast Cancer Campaign "Wear it Pink" clothing range.

Now, I'm not going to lie, there was one major set back to the day. This being the fact that me and my house mate, also a cast member, had to wake up at the heartbreaking hour of 5am...(A.M) in order to commute to London in time for the 7:00 start in store. Although being that the flash mob was for charity we just grabbed our extra large coffees and yummy blueberry muffins on the way in tired excitement, and later let our over tiredness keep our energy levels up...and i mean up... hyper actively up, but being brought to stitches is never bad in my eyes.

As I said, this was a flash mob, meaning we had to dance (there's passion number 1...muffins don't count right?) we were all sent a video of what the choreographer wanted and had to learn from that ready for the limited time we had on set on the day. Now, I have to declare that my preferred dance style has always been classical ballet, although thanks to my training I enjoy all others, and the steps we were given would've come more into the category of Jazz. Perfect for the atmosphere we wanted the flash mob to produce. Not quite the "Jazz Hands" routine you may be picturing, but close, I'll give you that much.

Oh, oh, oh, how I have not yet mentioned the fact that the flash mob was performed in a pig onesie! As in baby pink fleece all in one complete with pig ears, snout and tail. Bare in mind there were 20 of us girls, all fast pace dancing in unison within a small section of the store, in fleece. Sweating like a pig is a phrase that has never more beautifully fit. The pig costume made the whole day a lot more fun I must say. I mean, how often is that you walk into Primark to find 20 pigs dancing in the middle of it? 

Being the lucky lady I am, I was also asked to film some acting alone (still dressed as a pig remember). You don't know this yet but I HATE CHEESE (As in overacting not mozzarella) so being told to walk around the store with my "Oh what's happening here?" face would usually have me running a mile. But it didn't. I'm still in shock about this one. I actually loved doing it. Maybe I've broken a mental barrier when it comes to cheese. Maybe it was just the fact I knew the project was for charity but either way I was happy with my performance...pat on the back to me!

All laughing and jokes aside, it was great to be a part of something that will later go towards helping to raise money for such an important cause. Being together with 19 other passionate dancers, doing what we all love for the sake of charity is something that will always remind you through tiredness and stress of why we do it and this is what I personally gained from the day. 

The flash mob will be aired soon and I will definitely share it with you when I can! Oink!

My Housemate and Myself fashioning our "Wear it Pink" look.

1a: Blog Profile

Before further embarking on my blogging creations, I wanted to let you readers know a little more about who I am and what has brought me to do this BAPP course in the hopes that in turn I can read each of your blogs to relate to the different way our minds have explored within it.

I have been lucky enough to have been able to follow my dream of becoming a professional dancer without, whilst unlike many of my peers, moving away from my hometown of Birmingham. In 2012 I graduated Elmhurst School for Dance after the complete eight years of training from the mere age of 11 to 19. Through out my time in training I have had plentiful opportunities to work with some of the dancing worlds greats, such as the artistic director at the time, Desmond Kelly. As well as principals for companies such as The Royal Ballet. Also working in close relationship with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and given bountiful opportunities to be in close contact with the company and its members.

Due to the versatility of my dance training, I have also had the opportunity to work with varied dance styles ranging from Matt Mattox jazz and Cunningham contemporary to the more unconventional styles of African, Irish and Flamenco. All of which I have found extremely important since leaving training to aid the wide range of movement more companies are beginning to use.

As I trained at a vocational school, I was still able to build my academic skills, resulting in the following qualifications;

2004 – 2012                    Elmhurst School for Dance 

                                          National Diploma in Professional Dance  

                                          RAD Advanced 2             Merit 

                                          RAM Grade 5 Singing     Merit 

                                          A Level English                 A 

                                          A Level Dance                  B 

                                          11 GCSE’s                        A*- B

                                          Benesh Notation Reader Commended

The National Diploma of course being the stepping stone that has brought me to this degree course and this blog.

Performance Experience  is extremely important for moulding a dancer ready for professional life and I given a huge amount whilst at Elmhurst. Ranging from the annual summer show performed at our in school theatre to be taken to Dubai with a professional ballet company to be a part of their christmas tour.

Four Little Girls, Les Rendevous (Frederick Ashton)

             

Rich Man's Frug, Sweet Charity (Bob Fossie, Michelle Blair)        

Snowflakes,

Waltz of the Flowers, The Nutcracker (Vienna Festival Ballet)        

Centrepoint Theatre, Dubai

Diamond Variation, Sleeping Beauty, Solo Competition Finalist   

Wilis, Giselle Act 2 (Sir Peter Wright)

Reach for the Sky (Samira Saidi)                                                        

Birmingham Town Hall

The Dream (John Rigby, Thorey Mountain)                                        

Birmingham Symphony Hall

Firefly, Midsummer Nights Dream (Irek Mukhamedov)

These being but a few examples of the stage experience I gained whilst still a student.

Since my graduation I have relocated to Reading and recently have worked on a variety of dance projects, some of which I will be exploring into within this blog and have had the great pleasure to once again be working with the company that I was lucky enough to go to the Emirates with. Now looking forward to what lies ahead within this course and very interested to see where the potential within will take me.