Happy Graduation!
Congratulations on completing your degree! During your time at NSCD, we’re sure that every day you have discovered new things about yourself as a dance artist - but what’s next for you now?
Whether you’re taking some time to think about your options, or you’ve got your first exciting project or plans lined up already, here are some inspiring words and reminders from those you've met along the way.
First thing’s first, CELEBRATE!
Make the most of having graduated and spend time with your friends and family. Reminisce about your highlights at NSCD with friends and find out what they are up to next.
Matthew Robinson, former Artistic Director of VERVE and now Artistic Director of National Dance Company Wales, comments:
“Dance is a collaborative form, so stay connected to the people you are graduating with. You have bonded during your training and you can be there for each other as you step into the future.”
By now you will have a clear idea of your values and your unique movement language. Remember to be clear in your expression of this when seeking and applying for new dance opportunities.
Rhiannon Faith, one of this year’s guest choreographers for FUTURE NOW says:
“One thing that I wish I had known before beginning my journey is:
My own individuality is my power.”
Year-on-year as you’ve progressed through your studies, you'll have been part of performances and projects in a variety of contexts - performing in some interesting spaces and places and meeting some inspiring people along the way!
As part of your training here, we'll have helped you to create a showreel or portfolio, and asked you to capture information about your skills and experiences. Have you been keeping this up to date? Your final year of university has most likely been both a busy and demanding time - maybe it’s time to reflect on what you have achieved and spruce up your bio?
You'll remember we introduced you to Dancer’s Career Development (DCD) earlier in the year. Vidya Patel, one of this year’s guest choreographers for FUTURE NOW, also recommends DCD as a place to go for help. She says:
“DCD will try to understand your own personal situation and will talk things through with you as an individual rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. When I was in the early stages of putting my CV and portfolio together, I got in touch with DCD and they were happy to offer advice and go through things with me step by step.”
Do the current photos and videos in your portfolio represent you as a dancer?
During this year's BA3 Careers Week at NSCD, Andrew Gardiner, Dancer, Actor and Dramaturg, commented:
“When it comes to putting your experience down on paper and starting to build a portfolio, one of the most important things to remember is to showcase your broad range of skills through it.
“If you want to create a striking portfolio that is going to impress, make sure you include a mix of photos of you dancing in different contexts.”
If you need us to send you specific performance photos or headshots, just get in touch and we’ll be able to help.
Vidya Patel comments:
“Sign up to as many newsletters of arts spaces, organisations and dance houses to find out more about opportunities and call outs and what’s happening within your area.”
Whether you are looking for opportunities to perform, make your own work, or if you’re seeking a new challenge, remember these handy websites:
Don’t forget to also follow these platforms on Facebook and Instagram!
Our regular NSCD Alumni newsletter is also a great way to hear about opportunities, specially hand-picked for you by the team. Unless you indicated otherwise, you'll be automatically added to our list, and although we hope you won't, can unsubscribe at any time.
Is there a particular area of your practice that you want the freedom to explore and develop further? If you’re not already preparing for Masters-level study next year, don’t rule out the possibility of gaining an MA in the future!
Our Masters degrees here at Northern School of Contemporary Dance could be a great place to start:
“If a process doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t. Be brave and courageous enough to know the opportunities that are right for you, and the ones that aren’t,”
- Rhiannon Faith
Of course, it may take a while to establish yourself as an artist and to find the right opportunities, but remember to keep in mind your end goals and use them to motivate you.
Andrew Gardiner says:
“Take things one step at a time. Work backwards from your end goal and ask yourself questions like ‘where do I want to be?’ and ‘what’s the process of getting there?’ Reaching and achieving your end goal may not happen overnight, so consider a side hustle to support yourself financially whilst you develop as an artist.”
Andrew Gardiner suggests there are three steps to take before going to an audition or interview:
He also suggests that you must “keep in mind that not every place or choreographer auditions people.” There are different ways to be seen by people, including attending workshops, creating an online portfolio through a social media profile or your website, or making the most of connections you already have.
Remember that as time goes on, your work, dance style and artistic voice may change - and that’s okay!
Akeim Toussaint Buck, NSCD alumni who won an Arts Foundation Futures Award this year, comments:
“My work Windows of Displacement has evolved so much over the years and will never stop because I'm not the same person I was and never will be. My practice with my voice has deepened and so has my ability to play with the material. Everything has grown and now it's a battle between what has become second nature and what can be a new experience every time it is performed.”
Ben Wright, Lecturer in Dance at NSCD, suggests that a great process for cultivating your art as a dance artist, is to:
“Consistently ask, recognise where your support is, what efforts are required, and where unnecessary tension could be arising.”
Just as your dance style or the ideas you engage with may not stay the same, neither will the world of dance!
The dance ecology is constantly evolving.
Andrew Gardiner suggests that you must “always remain curious as a dancer. Never think you know everything as there will always be something new to learn!”
“To be an artist is to be curious. It is ok not to have all the answers. It took me a while to grasp that my training was the beginning of my journey, I was not complete when I left school, just as I am not complete today. Remember all the tools you have already gathered, be confident in all you already know, but be open to gather more. The world that surrounds us has so much to teach us, so ask many questions, grasp onto new possibilities, and be open to evolving”
– Matthew Robinson
