Written by Charlotte Jones (Former NSCD student, 2017 Graduate and Creator of Amala Movement)
Having graduated from NSCD a year ago (I can’t believe I’m already saying those words), I wanted to share some thoughts, ideas and reflections about my time as a student in full time training. I could chat to you about my time at NSCD for hours (you think I’m joking? Let’s get a coffee), but, here is a relatively short list.
These thoughts I hope to shape into my ‘top ten’ points, because, let’s face it- we all have dinner to cook, ballet elastics to sew on and social media to scroll through.
Lie on your back, head resting on the floor, feet standing with knees towards the sky. No phone, no distractions. Just you, yourself and gravity. There’s a reason this point is number one – I’m not exaggerating when I say this saved me. Every day, for 20 minutes. A great habit to find yourself in is heading to studio 8 gym at the end of your moving day. Lie, drop down and sink into the floor. This acts as an opportunity for your nervous system to calm, the muscles of the back, hips and psoas to soften and for your body to realign. ‘Rest’ sessions during lunch offer this too. GO!
We drink A LOT of water. Why waste all those plastic bottles and kill all the turtles? It’s simple. Don’t waste all those plastic bottles and kill all the turtles. Buy a reusable water bottle. £5 on Amazon. Put it on your to do list – above sewing elastic on your ballet shoes.
Dancing 10 hours a day, 5 days a week- your body goes through alot. Slight moments of ‘niggles’ and discomfort are inevitable. This isn’t something to be afraid of, as during these times there are many ways to approach and work with your body. Research. Head down to the library and research what you’re working with. There are hundreds and hundreds of books to help you here. Some with a lot of words, some with a lot of pictures, and some with a lot of colouring. (Yes, there’s an anatomy colouring book.) Whatever your method of learning about your body… own it.
Dancing 10 hours a day, 5 days a week- it becomes very easy (consciously or unconsciously) to fall into habits. Habits can be anything from where you stand at the barre, what time you warm up, how you warm up, your reaction/action to injury and your partner in contact work. Challenge yourself to learn or do one new thing every day. Don’t allow yourself to fall into these habits. Being curious helps. Learning learning learning. Always learning.
Whether your ideas are pouring out of you, you’ve been staring at a wall for three hours, decided you want to audition for _____, or finished a fourteen hour day and never want to step foot in a studio again. JOURNAL IT. Journal everything.This is where the magic happens. Where the moments of independence and realisation form themselves. For me, journalling was a vital part of my injury recovery process too. When in discomfort, it is far too easy to say ‘my back is painful’ every day, and further see no improvement, log no experiences and want to run away into the sun. (Again, not a bad idea, but not what got me through NSCD.)
Every day, I would note how I felt as I woke up, before, during and after class and at the end of the day. I would begin to see patterns of triggers, and from there could shape my own injury recovery log. Journalling is a process, a beautiful process, a long process, but no one said dancing would be easy.
You are never alone. I’ll say that louder. You are NEVER alone.
Through the longest of days, when you’re in your thousandth plié that term, when you want a nap, when you don’t know what to do any more… Know, and really know, that you are never alone.
Something that still amazes me about NSCD is the community it holds. The staff, the students, and the alumni. I can’t help but feel that everyone is there for each other. Always.
I highly encourage staying in touch with your technique tutors too. Keep them in the loop with any injuries you are working with, or anything that may affect your practice. They are there to support you and your process.
Following on from this, is the wonderful amount of support that NSCD continually has to offer. Whatever it is that you may find yourself struggling with, someone is there for you. Learning support, injury support, counselling, English as a second language, or technique (to name a few). It is incredibly easy to book a session with any member of staff- everyone is just an email or a knock on the door away.
A mindset which can scarily become reality during training. How and why? I don’t know. But I, for sure, fell into that trap.
Dance is NOT your life. In fact, it’s the tiniest, smallest, most minimal part of your life. Perhaps now, at the start of the new year, the new term, this may not be as relevant. But, 17 weeks in, just remember, dance is NOT your life.
Things that helped me acknowledge this:
That is all.
Anywho, that’s about my 10 points worth of tips. All are based on my experiences of being a student and are things I wish I could have shouted at myself from time to time.
NSCD is one of the most life-changing, challenging and rewarding experiences. You will learn more about yourself than you think possible, and you will make friendships stronger than ever.
One last thing:
Be you. Always be you.
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