blog one- My Personal Development.

I am a student currently studying at Sunderland college on a performing arts course. Due to my current position within the educational system I can confidently say I understand my industry and have a clear plan as to where I would like to develope further when it comes to university and the industry as a whole. Sunderland college has provided me with a variety of networking opportunities such as meetings and professional workshops with companies such as Sunderland empire when they were hosting their building for the touring cast of Dream Girls, during this workshops I was able to inform myself on the different pathways that people within my industry can take that link with one and other in order to be integral within the set of a production both on and off stage, these job rolls consist of:

.Performers

.Hair and beauty 

.technician- audio-visuals 

.Director 

.Creative director 

.Script writer

The performing arts industry is consistently under development and looking for new adjustable positions that enhance our industry's success rates as evidently the job of a performer is of course providing a range of skills such as team work and individuality however as a performer you are bound by a contract this ensures you are only working for a set amount of time for each product you participate in.

A pathway I am interested in exploring via apprenticeships and work experience is a dance teachers assistant I always aspire to achieve my goals and set targets that I know I will eventually progress in. I understand that in order to be granted this opportunity I need to take advantage of the opportunities I am provided with by my college such as after college time activities such as extended dance class. This is a class I attended every Tuesday and each week explore a new style of dance this is progressive and allows me to widen My focus. I aspire to eventually lead a dance class after college time before My second year is complete.

As I proceed into my industry I have began to explore the next steps in which I feel are right for me, when doing so I came across a range of school astablishments that I belive would help me grow as a performer. I have explored The Urdang this is a London based performers school original founded as a ballet school, The Urdang accepts around 100 people per year to under go their degree course. The Urdang produces presentable, diverse and physically challenging levels of work which is exactly what drew me to the school as I feel as though i am prepared to take this step. The Urdang produces well rounded alumni an example being Mukeni Nel who is a 2019 graduate who has recently joined the cast of Newsies an award winning musical and Cats.

I have also explored locations less distant from home such as Leeds, the school I explored within Leeds is The Mill School Of Performance this school offers an Acting BA honors Degree as well as a Dance Foundation Degree which leads to a BA honors Degree during third year. As of right now I am exploring the possibility of completing my first year developing my dance styles such as Commercial and exploring ways in which I can incorporate more Acro and Ballet, and towards my second year I am not opposed to possibly transferring to the acting course, this way I am gaining a qualification from both subjects within my industry.

Once I am a university student I can request a maintenance loan this covers and supports some of my living expenses, this loan is transferred straight to your bank account at the begging of each term, it is possible to be eligible for extra allowence which you can find out about by using a student finance calculator, this loan is to be paid back once you are no longer apart of the educational system.

The Performing Arts industry supports its younger members with the Drama And Dance Awards (DADA). In order to become eligible for this funding towards tuition you can apply via direct communication with your selected university and discuss forming an application, there are set requirements that one must reach in order to meet the brief examples range from:

.Being Between or the ages 16-23, most people enter the industry professional at the age of 16 due to college acceptance requirements.

.Study for a Trinity College London diploma ranging from: Level 5 Diploma in Professional Acting, Level 6 Diploma in Professional Acting, Level 5 Diploma in Professional Dance this course bases its classes around Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance as well as a Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance and a Level 6 Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre.

As a performer I consider myself well rounded and educated within the required skills of my industry and profession for example, I have an indepth understanding of dance terminology which conveys a professional outlook on my industry. Dance terminology is a requirement to be able to grasp for anyone who aspires to be a professional dancer or continue down that line. Due to my own experience within dance I understand terminology in styles such as Ballet, Jazz, modern, tap and contemporary this knowledge is useful when I begin exploring more career pathways and work experience.

The performing arts industry has a wide range of accessible pathways into the arts and many of these entrances are paved out by freelance artists. Freelance artists are people who have created their own company and form their own approved contracts that their employees work under. I have thankfully had the opportunity to explore the freelancing side of my industry due to auditions held by Happily Ever After entertainment, this audition consisted of both dance and acting opportunities so i was able to showcase and practically explore new skills, This freelance company is also in partnership with Let It Snow Productions so not only was i provided with an insight into the freelancing aspect of my industry but i was able to explore the benefits of Networking. Due to the industry progressively developing with time photography has became an easy freelance job for beginners, not only does this job provide networking with those within the same industry but it also allows you to capture your own work and promote yourself on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and many more here is the link to my professional performance instagram account where i post my progress and opportunities:

ellielamb.performing - Instagram

I have created a performance self promoting portfolio and CV to increase chances of employability and work experience. I also seek out work for myself by going to auditions i have found via networking on social media platforms and verbal communication with previous production teams, i also send my applications to production teams looking for cast or crew to be a Runner/ Shadow, Camera Operator or Dancer, by separating myself from the safety net provided by college I am preparing myself gradually for the further independence that university inflicts upon students. I aspire to gradually construct a reputation for being dependable and employable this way the projects I work on will gradually become bigger and I will be granted further access into the industry.

I understand that I thrive in creative environments and my strengths within the industry are often practical based I have been developing my theory work in order to produce exceptional work results. I completed year one with the grade distinction across all units/ modules therefore its evident that my work ethic and drive to improve produces good results.