Time management

Since starting my new job with a ballet company in London I have had considerably less free time, especially since we have started our tour. We travel around from London to perform all over the country in our mini bus. Sometimes we do two shows a day and don't get back to London until very late and then have to get the night bus home. This can be tiring to say the least. For one performance we travelled down to Extetor and back in one day and I didn't get home until half 3 in the morning. For someone who needs a lot of sleep I initially struggled with this routine but now I am getting more used to it, although getting home at 3 in the morning will never be easy! I began to realise that the little time I have to myself is precious and I need to utilise it productively. So now instead of watching Pretty Little Liars (guilty) before bed I will now think ahead and prepare food for the next day, do my washing and sew pointe shoes to ensure I am prepared for performances the next day. We spend so much time on the tour bus I try to use this time to research and write blog posts ... when I'm not sleeping! For example now, I am on a 3 hour journey to Taunton so trying to use this time wisely. 

Also being a dancer looking after our bodies is very important. Finding the time to do this is difficult and for me I find that this is something I feel like I have neglected since starting touring. Ordinarily I like to do 45 minutes of Pilates before ballet class and I like to do a few yoga classes a week depending on how much dancing I am doing. But when we are on tour we have to do our hair and stage make-up before class and at the moment I have hardly been doing any Pilates excericses. So I am trying to find the time in the mornings and before ballet classes to do more of a warm up and stretch. I feel as though this is especially important to me because of my operation on my hip and I need to keep building up my strength and doing my Physio excericses! Also after the performances we get straight back on the tour bus but it is important for me to stretch my muscles because they get very sore and tight. Whenever I can I also like to have a hot bath to soak my muscles and help my body relax. 

Something else that takes up more time than I thought it would is preparing my food. I try to prepare a packed lunch and dinner when I am on tour because it can be very expensive to buy food on the go everyday! However I am running out of inspiration for lunches as chicken caesar salads and cheese sandwiches are starting to get a little boring. Nutrition is something I am quite interested in so I am sure I will talk more about this in another blog post!


As a person who enjoys being busy and having lots to do I enjoying my busy routine and loving being able to perform everyday. Although I currently feel a little behind on my BAPP work hopefully if I continue to use my time well I will soon be up to date.

Trip to campus

I was very grateful that my (rare) day off coincided with the all module campus session at University and I was able to attend the session on the 22nd. The majority of the course is online and through self study it was nice to actually meet other students and see them in person rather than reading an online profile or hearing Skype voices. As I began talking to other students I realised I was already familiar with some of their work because I had been reading their blogs, which was quite a surreal experience because you feel like you almost already know them without ever meeting them, a bit creepy I know. I find this a strange concept and is something we are able to do in this modern age with all the Web 2.0 platforms. The term 'Facebook' stalking comes to mind and this is commonly used among  my generation to describe looking at someones Facebook profile!

Anyway I'm going off track, back to the campus session ... we began by introducing ourselves and then started playing a few games.

I found this took a bit of getting used to and because many of the tasks were left down to our own interpretation I found myself quite hesitant to begin. For instance the first game was to fill a block of twenty blank boxes with anything within a minute. I was initially confused by what 'anything' was and probably spent half the time just thinking about what to fill the boxes with and trying to sneak a look at my neighbours piece of paper. In the end I filled it with words of things that were on my mind like 'sun' (it was a sunny day) blue, holiday (dreaming of summer I guess!) some words relating to the course and as I was running out of time I started to do some quick drawings to fill the boxes. After looking around at everyone's pieces of paper at the end it was interesting to see how people approached the task. Some people only wrote words and some drew patterns and shapes. It was also to see who was more hesitant, like me and who got straight into the task. I think if I were in a situation like this again I would be less hesitant because I now realise there is no right or wrong and 'anything' can literally be anything!

The next thing we did was about Appreciative Inquiry. This was something I was not previously familiar with but now feel like it is a great way to approach problem solving by positively finding a solution for something. We used the BAPP Arts as an example and worked in our module groups to discuss how we could approach any problems we felt the course had. 

This is a quote I like about appreciative inquiry I found on the hyperlink Paula posted on her blog. 

https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/08/01/creating-positive-change-through-appreciative-inquiry

"Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is the art of finding deep strengths in an organization, then leveraging those to create ways to solve challenges and achieve success. The flip-side of more traditional problem solving, AI starts with finding the positive core, creating a vision of a more “ideal” outcome, looking at “problems” as opportunities to create this vision, and working forward from there. Essentially, it focuses on increasing what organizations do well, instead of eliminating what they do badly."
The 4Ds:

Discovery - Discover strengths. We discussed what works well in the course.
Dream - Ideal future outcome. What we would ideally like to happen?
Design - How could we make this happen?
Destiny - Putting the changes into action and formulating a plan.

After a short break we returned and discussed the course in our module groups. I was with Grace and Laura from module 1 and it was really great to talk to other people experiencing the same as me and also to talk to Paula about what is expected of us at the stage of the course. I realised that I should include more blogs about the Arts rather than soley sticking to the tasks. I think I like the structure the tasks give me which is why I have been following them so closely! 

Overall it was a great day and I really hope I am able to attend the next campus session!

Thank you Paula!!!!!!!!!! 

LinkedIn

I have been thinking about how I could improve my use of Web 2.0 to progress in my profession and thought I could begin by updating my profile on LinkedIn and Network Dance. I created my LinkedIn account a while ago mainly out of curiosity and partly because I wanted to stop recieving emails from people requesting me to 'join their network'! But since creating this profile I hadn't logged into the account nor updated my information so I haven't really used this platform to it's advantage. I have now updated my account information added work history. I find it very clever the way LinkedIn works and finds mutual connections and people working within the same industry. LinkedIn now tells me that my account is of 'expert' standard so I believe I now have enough information on my profile. The link to my profile is below.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-bantick-804617108?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic

While browsing the LinkedIn site and adding my interests I cam across this article about instagram and found it an interesting read. It explains how Instagram is developing and your feed will no longer be chronological, it will be an algorithmically calculated feed. This triggered my thinking about how other social media sites will be changing and what people think about change! It would be interesting to hear other peoples thoughts about this article. 


https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/thanks-instagram-age-organic-social-over-shelly-palmer

Task 1d: 2d images

I will be the first person to put my hand up and admit that I am a bit of an Instagram addict. I am definitely guilty of spending perhaps too much time scrolling through my Instagram feed as it is by far my preferred form of social media. I like the fact that you can be artistic with your feed and the way you share photos with friends and other followers. Instagram is the only online image bank I use but I am thinking about setting up a Flickr account for the purpose of learning how another site works differently.

Here is the link to my personal Instagram account where I post pictures of all kinds of things I am interested in. It features a lot of food and dancing pictures and photos of my friends and family.

https://www.instagram.com/madbann/

I have recently posted a picture of my very messy dressing room and also a photo of myself and two of my colleagues before a performance of Coppelia. 

Personally I use instagram for a number of different things. I use it to follow friends and keep connected with them and sharing photos. Lots of my friends are also in the dance and performance industry so it is nice to see what they have been up to and photos of their work.

I also follow a number of health and fitness bloggers because this is something I am interested in and often if there is a new post on their blogs they will post a link to it via their Instagram page. I also sometimes find out about health and fitness events via Instagram and have won a few competitions from Instagram. For example tickets to the OM Yoga Show at Alexandra Palace and I also won a months online membership with Barrecore both through Instagram competitions. 

Many companies use Instagram as a way of marketing and self promotion. Most big companies nowadays will have a social media manager and it is interesting that there are now jobs being created from social media whereas several years ago this would have been unheard of. I think that our world is becoming so fast paced and everything is so instantly accessible that Instagram is a very good way for companies to advertise because they can make a visual impression on a potential customer immediately without costing them much time. 

I follow many dance companies and dancers to keep connected with my industry through social media. I have included some screen shots of a few companies and Instagram pages that I find interesting and relevant to my profession. 

Initial thoughts Web 2.0

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES:

My initial thoughts in regards to Web 2.0 and professional communication technologies was that they sounded like a complex and complicated thing! Which sounds silly now after doing some research into the subject and discovering that these are things that I use everyday like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and I also have a personal health a fitness blog so I am pretty familiar with the functioning of these social networking sites! However although I use these sites everyday I hadn't really thought about what Web 2.0 is and how it affects me, my life, my profession and others. 

                                     

                                    

As I began reading Reader 1, which initially seemed daunting to me as there is a lot of information to absorb I realized I kept having the same thoughts and questions popping into my head.

How do I and how can I improve my use Web 2.0 to progress in my career? How has Web 2.0 changed my industry? Is it wrong for me to use the same profile and pages for my personal and professional life? How companies and brands use social media marketing to advertise and reach target markets? 

I like to be really connected with my industry through social media and online presence and even though I am currently working full time with a company I still like to know what is going on in the industry.  I 'like' relevant groups and pages on Facebook which may notify me of auditions or potential jobs. For example New English Ballet Theatre recently posted an audition on their Facebook page which I have now applied for. I know that one of my colleueges found out about my company was looking for two new dancers via Facebook. I also am a member of The Hustle on Facebook which is how I find out about loads of auditions! The Hustle is a great page and connects many people within the performance industry and is a platform where people can ask questions, share information post auditions and jobs. I also use DancersPro website, The Stage, DanceEurope, Dance UK and Network Dance to keep updated with auditions in the industry. I have recently signed up for linked in but have realised that I have not used it to it's full potential yet!

                                           

For now these are my initial thoughts on the subject and I will be developing my ideas and answering my questions!

TASK 1A

CV -

What I think a CV means to me? 

An easy to read summary of someone's professional past. Showing their training, qualifications and work experience. Although this may sound simple and hard to go wrong with I believe that a CV should be produced with great care and consideration. After all you will be judged on it and something that holds that much responsibility ought as good as it can be, right? Now the question is have I practiced what I preach? 

I wrote my first dance related CV when I started studying vocationally when I was 16 years old. At this point my CV was pretty bare, I had little performance experience and other than my RAD grades I didn't have too much else noteworthy. We were given a template in which to base our CV on. This was helpful but I think we were spoon fed to the point that pretty much everyone in my year and probably the majority of the sixth form at school had exactly the same introduction paragraph. This is not exactly a great thing when at some point we would all be applying for the same auditions and jobs. Shamefully I only changed this paragraph within the last year when I gave my CV a bit of a makeover. Back in November time last year I began auditioning again after my operation and started auditioning for more jazz and musical theater related jobs. In order to do this and to be successful I had a change my CV to portray myself in a different way. In addition to this I needed to get some more 'commercial' style head shots taken to look more professional and less of a 'ballet school type'. Often in the musical theater world you can be judged on your head-shot and looks alone so it is important to firstly get photos which present you in the best way with good quality photos and secondly you have to be recognizable. It's all very well having a beautiful model shot taken, but if in real life you actually look nothing like that photo then it is a bit useless. 

This CV I used when applying for teaching positions during my time off from dancing after my operation. 

CV - MADELEINE BANTICK

************************************ Suffolk

Date of Birth: 17/05/1995

Tel: *******************************

 Email: madeleinebantick1@hotmail.co.uk

Availability: Weekdays and weekends

Personal Profile:

I am an enthusiastic, outgoing and friendly individual who works hard to achieve my potential in all situations. I have experience in a variety of work places and love working in a team as well as independently. I have trained for three years at Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet where I have gained extensive knowledge in all areas of dance and gained a level 6 Professional Trinity College Diploma in Dance. Working professionally as a dancer has given me a wide range of transferable skills and I love to share my passion for dance and performance through teaching.

Qualifications:

 Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance, A Level English and Art – B and 12 GCSE’s A*-B (County Upper School)

RAD grades 1-8 and Intermediate foundation to advanced 2 – Distinction

ISTD – modern 1-6 and tap 1-5 – Grade A

Skills:

-          Extensive knowledge in dance and performance

-          DBS checked

-          Organisation and time keeping skills

-          Knowledge of health and safety procedures and first aid certification

Experience:

Ballet Dancer at Cirque Bijou, Oxford – Nov 2015

Private primary ballet tuition in Cambridge - 2015

Northern Ballet Company Graduate Scheme – 2014-2015

Performed in various productions for Northern Ballet in UK tour

Workshops and outreach performances for primary schools, Birmingham  - 2014

References:

***********************************************************************************************

This CV I have used when attending jazz auditions or emailing musical theater agencies.

CV: MADELEINE BANTICK
19 Fox Green, Great Bradley, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9NR

 Mobile: 07715942223

Email: madeleinebantick1@hotmail.co.uk

Date of birth: 17/05/1995
Nationality: British
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 49kg

Trained for three years at Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet and graduated in 2014. Have previous professional experience working with Northern Ballet Company. I have a strong classical ballet technique with experience and further training in jazz (Mattox) and contemporary (Graham, Cunningham). Previous teachers include Michelle Blair, Nikki Woolaston, Yoko Ichino and Erol Pickford. Model and catwalk experience.

Performance Experience:

Date:        Role:                     Production:           Choreographer:       Theatre:      

2015            Dancer                   Lovella Ellis music video     Grace Hume                   London film studio

2015            Dancer                   Cirque Bijou Umbrella project                                  Outdoor event Oxford Castle

2015            Wife                       Elves and the shoemaker   Daniel de Andrade         UK Tour (Northern Ballet)

                    Model                    Photoshoot for Romeo & Juliet                                The Herald magazine (Northern Ballet)

2014            Mermaid                Peter Pan (Northern Ballet) David Nixon                  West Yorkshire playhouse

2014            Principal                Birthday Offering                Frederick Ashton                        Elmhurst Theatre

                    Young Girl              Two Pigeons                      Frederick Ashton           Elmhurst Theatre

2013            Esmeralda Variation Solo competition final     Marius Petitpa               Elmhurst Theatre                                         Carnival Girl          Still Life at the Penguin Café    David Bintley               Ruddock Hall Theatre

                     Swan                       Swan Lake                         Sir Peter Wright            Ruddock Hall Theatre

2012            Hungarian princess Swan Lake                         Sir Peter Wright            Elmhurst Theatre

                     Pas de Quatre       Bayadere                             Marius Petitpa              Elmhurst Theatre

                     The Journey          Choreography competition Ririka Oishi                   Elmhurst Theatre

                     Harmony                Contemporary piece           Denise Wilson             Elmhurst Theatre

2011             Diamond fairy       Solo competition                 Sir Peter Wright           Elmhurst Theatre

                      Catwalk model/ dancer                                    Vintage by Hemmingway, Pearl and Daisy Lowe

Education and Qualifications:

2011-2014            Elmhurst School for Dance

                                Level 6 National Diploma in Professional Dance & RAD advanced 1&2   

2008-2011            Grades 1-8 Royal Academy of Dance - Distinction, Advanced 2 & Intermediate Modern Dance ISTD– Distinction

Other skills include: Speech and drama – guildhall grade 5. Modelling and catwalk experience.

Finally my ballet CV:

CV: MADELEINE BANTICK
19 **********************************************

 Mobile: **********************

Email: **********************************************

Date of birth: 17/05/1995
Nationality: British
Height: *****
Weight: ****

Trained for three years at Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet and graduated in 2014. Have previous professional experience working with Northern Ballet Company. I have a strong classical ballet technique with experience and further training in jazz (Mattox) and contemporary (Graham, Cunningham). Previous teachers include Michelle Blair, Nikki Woolaston, Yoko Ichino and Erol Pickford. Model and catwalk experience.

Performance Experience:

Date:                     Role:                     Production:                        Choreographer:                        Theatre:      

2015                       Dancer                   Lovella Ellis music video     Grace Hume                 London film studio

2015                       Dancer                   Cirque Bijou Umbrella project                                  Outdoor event Oxford Castle

2015                       Wife                       Elves and the shoemaker   Daniel de Andrade     UK Tour (Northern Ballet)

                                Model                    Photoshoot for Romeo & Juliet                                The Herald magazine (Northern Ballet)

2014                       Mermaid                Peter Pan (Northern Ballet) David Nixon                West Yorkshire playhouse

2014                       Principal                Birthday Offering                Frederick Ashton                        Elmhurst Theatre

                                Young Girl              Two Pigeons                          Frederick Ashton        Elmhurst Theatre

2013                       Esmeralda Variation Solo competition final     Marius Petitpa             Elmhurst Theatre

Carnival Girl          Still Life at the Penguin Café   David Bintley              Ruddock Hall

                                Swan                       Swan Lake                             Sir Peter Wright          Ruddock Hall

2012                       Hungarian princess Swan Lake                          Sir Peter Wright          Elmhurst Theatre

                                Pas de Quatre       Bayadere                               Marius Petitpa             Elmhurst Theatre

                                The Journey          Choreography competition Ririka Oishi                  Elmhurst Theatre

                                Harmony                Contemporary piece           Denise Wilson             Elmhurst Theatre

2011                       Diamond fairy       Solo competition                  Sir Peter Wright          Elmhurst Theatre

                                Catwalk model/ dancer                       Vintage by Hemmingway, Pearl and Daisy Lowe show

Education and Qualifications:

2011-2014            Elmhurst School for Dance

                                Level 6 National Diploma in Professional Dance & RAD advanced 1&2   

2008-2011            Grades 1-8 Royal Academy of Dance - Distinction, Advanced 2 & Intermediate Modern Dance ISTD– Distinction

Other skills include: Private ballet coaching

What did I change between the three CVs? 

- The previous teachers section. In the ballet version I gave examples of influential ballet teachers who have taught me and in the Jazz one I used names of jazz teachers

- Slightly altered my performance experience section. Highlighting my jazz and contemporary performance work. Included different information in the 'Other skills' section at the bottom.

- Used a different head-shot in the corner. More classical one in the ballet CV as this is what I would look like in a ballet audition situation and the more commercial head-shot in my alternative CV. 

- Different layout in the teaching CV. Included more about my personal attributes because as a teacher I belive this is something that would be valued more in the application process. Whereas when applying for a ompany audition I think would be less worried about your personality an more concerned about your performance experience and training. Now I have said this I think an interesting point  in regards to the difference between the requirements for teachers and dancers. 

PHOTOS: 

Photos also play a big part in personal representation because dance is after all a visual art. One could be cast in a part simply because of the colour of their hair so it is important to have professional photos to open up job opportunities. After experiencing auditioning within different genres of dance within the industry I can see some differences between the requirements for photos. For ballet it is important to have full body shots showing line of feet, extension and flexibility. Head shots are less of a priority for ballet auditions as they will be more interested in your dance photos. However with jazz and musical theater it is very important to have a striking head-shot to make you stand out. I have posted below some photos from previous photo shoots starting with my audition photos I had taken when I was in third year at school. Unfortunately my year at school was the first to try out a new photographer who had no previous experience taking 'audition photos' for ballet dancers. We were sort of the guinea pig year I suppose, and the photographer wasn't used again the following year .... I had some photos taken about a year and a half ago by a friend who is also a dancer and has started his own photography company.  I was a lot happier with the outcome of this shoot and for me it is important to have a photographer who understands the dance world when having dance and especially ballet photos because you very often need a second or even third opinion on poses and movements. The third set of photos were taken in November last year and although I don't love these photos (I don't think I'll even love a photo of myself!) I was happy with the final result from this shoot and what made it even better was the kind photographer edited these photos for free! Bonus!!

It is interesting for me now to look back on these photos and see the how the difference in photography style affects the look of the photos. Who knows what my next set of portfolio photos will look like ..

Failure to prepare, prepare to fail

I have been working as a professional ballet dancer with the Vienna Festival Ballet Company for exactly a month today. This has been very exciting for me, as after having a hip operation I have had some doubts about whether I would still be able to pursue a career in dance let alone ballet, which is commonly known to be very tough on your whole body (not just your toes). My first month in the company has definitely had its ups and downs and I have already learnt a lot and I think I will be able to use many of my experiences to help me with this degree. One thing that I have been repeatedly thinking about is how company life differs from school. How in some ways school helps you prepare for professional life and in some ways the two are so different. I have also been thinking about professional relationships within the company and how when working in a small company it is very important to maintain good relationships with colleuges. Especially in a ballet company because this kind of thing could affect the company's performance. I have also been thinking about how vitally important preparation is! The phrase 'failure to prepare, prepare to fail' springs to mind which is why I have used it as the title for this blog post. Everything from sewing pointe shoes, ensuring you have the right make up for different performances and prepping food for the following day all play a vital role in being a prepared company member.

                       

                       

                       


It will be interesting to me to hear about other people's experiences about the transition from school to company or working life, so if anyone has an opinion on this subject please comment on this post. Also if anyone has any tips on how to be prepared for performances and shows and looking after your body whilst on tour.