What Ballet Has Given Me

I was recently asked by a student journalist questions around becoming a dance science lecturer and my own experience and views of dance as a creative outlet.  One question, I thought might be particularly good to use as a blog post. This was – what benefits have I gained emotionally and physically from dance. Answering this question certainly got me thinking about my years studying classical ballet and the journey it has taken me on up to now.

I started studying ballet when I was four years old. Over these many years I have completed the RAD syllabus, having gained Distinction in Grade 8 two years prior to beginning university, and was working towards the Advanced vocational levels. I have had some incredible teachers over the years who have helped me reach my potential and are now great friends who I visit when I return home to Essex. I am forever grateful to my Mother who continued to drive me to lessons hours away where she would then sit wait until my lesson was over. She wasn’t just my method of transport either but over the years perfected the ballet bun with my unruly curly hair, applied everyone’s stage makeup and would help me darn my pointe shoes late into the evening.

Thinking back, ballet has given me numerous qualities; stamina, strength, determination, grace, musicality, perseverance, good health, focus, organisational skills, artistry and confidence when speaking and performing in front of others. Dance also gave me a stress release through my GCSE and A Level studies.

One major thing dance has given me is opportunity. I always wanted to be a professional ballerina but at 5ft 11” I was never going to make it, nor was I up to the standards of a pro. So when I visited a physiotherapist for a dance related injury, I decided that working as a physiotherapist with dancers would be a rewarding career as well as keeping in the world of dance.

Despite one of my high school teachers telling me I would never get into university, let alone study Physiotherapy, I went to Teesside University in 2011 where I later gained a BSc(Hons) Sports Therapy. During my undergraduate studies I particularly enjoyed the rehabilitation module and my own weight training which I had started with a knowledgeable friend. From here I went on to study MSc Strength and Conditioning, with my heart still set on working with dancers when I left university. My focus when doing assignments for my MSc was dance focused, which I found was a small and emerging field. Through the help of a lecturer I got in contact with the BA Dance Department at the university. Here I began working with the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd year dancers as a strength and conditioning coach to educate them on the importance of supplementary training for dancers. After my course I was luckily enough to gain a role in the BA Dance department as module leader in Dance Science. In this role I am developing a new module to benefit the dancers. I teach anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and the principles of training. Without my dance background, or strive, perseverance, confidence and the encouragement from my family, friends and boyfriend I might have given up, but I am now working in a job I used to dream of. I still have many other dreams and goals which I am pursuing and shall talk about in future posts. So keep your eyes out for those.

I would love to hear what dance given you, so please comment below!

Here are a few old photos of me dancing...

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I loved this costume for the ballet Petrushka! You can't see it but we also had on red boots to cover our character shoes. I'm the one with the eyes closed, back row second in from the right.

This costume was for a Mexican dance, full of high kicks and allegro.

These photographs were from a Jack Petchey awards night at Chelmsford Civic Theatre. Here I am performing with a school friend in the Phantom of the Opera. We performed this piece about 5 times in total. The height difference between myself and my friend still makes my dad laugh to this day!

This was a photo taken for my EPQ A level project which I did on Dancers Injuries.