Wednesday 12 December 2012

Judging a book by it's cover

The dance industry is a fickle environment. This is a fact. The dancer whom one day is the favourite for a job, could find themselves rejected and forgotten by the following week. The dancer who holds the technique most dancers would die for, can find themselves dismissed rapidly from an audition purely based on what she chose to wear that day. This is the way of it, and the way it will inevitably remain. 

This week has been a huge learning curve for me as a person, and as a professional of this industry. In the last few days, I have been spending some time helping the company I currently work to choose girls for casting for the next upcoming show contract. This involves hunting through hundreds of online applications from casting websites, and weighing up suitability based on the first few seconds of looking at their profile. In seconds, a girl can be put in the 'no pile' before a show reel is even seen! She might not have the right look, her first loaded photo might come out grainy, her hair colour may not suit, or similar issues. The experience has definately encouraged me to analyse my own professional profile and portfolio more carefully! 



On the flipside, I had a very humbling experience in correlation with this concept of 'judging a book by its cover' when teaching this week....

On Monday I taught my regular class of 'Baby Ballet' followed immediately by 'Body Flow' for older teenagers. As my ballet class was coming to an end, one of the Mums who had been watching approached me to ask whether she could join in with Body Flow. As the class is aimed at teenagers with some technique already established, I was somewhat hesitant. I am ashamed to say, that I assumed from appearance that she would struggle in the class. However, it is an open class and so I invited her to join us, reassuring her that I would help her if she got stuck in any of the exercises or choreography. 

After the warm up section of the class, I asked the group to go to the corner, so that we could work on the travelling turns we had already been working on in previous weeks. They all paired up, as usual, leaving my new member alone. I advised her to go last, and that if she found the turns too difficult, that I could step in and help her. She politely smiled, and joined the queue of giggling teenage girls. 
As it came to her turn, I stepped forward, ready to help her. The whole class, who had already completed the turns duo by duo, also stood by watching. And to everyone's surprise, this new member of the group proceeded to perform the most elegant, most controlled, and most technically correct turns I have seen since I began teaching here in Marrakech! 

This new dancer continued to demonstrate her beautiful technique and poise in everything from that point forward. Not only that, but this woman was in full Muslim covered dress. Instead of the usual leotard and tights combination, this dancer not only danced to her full and able ability, but did it all completely covered, including her hair and half of her face. I went home in awe, and entirely humbled by the entire experience. In its truest sense, a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. Or any dancer that you do not know. 

Perhaps those casting files are worth a second look now....

HV.
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