For Dancers part of the job and also from years back in training where we are being taught discipline about the art form and also discipline about personal appearance is of course paramount.
How ever looking closely back now and realising for young adolescent teenagers of the age 16-19 years old spending those three years in front of mirrors looking at yourself the way you look and they way are dance can have long term negative effects.
Dancers use mirrors yes for rehearsals to ensure they can see themselves and other dance. However also they can look at themselves and pull their bodies to pieces and pondering on areas they are not happy with. Hence why eating disorders are common in young dancers.
The mirrors become more controlling of the person than the person using them as a prop for work.
The reason for this blog this time round is because of my own recent realisation. Two weeks ago I awoke and after showering I noticed I had what looked like a skin reaction over night that had broke out across the fronts of my shoulders and on the inside of my arms.
I panicked a little as again when I was 14 years old I suffered from Psoriasis for a year and that I will always remember was not a pleasant experience.
So as we all do I talked to Dr MUM and bless her she looked at it and was convinced this was not the Psoriasis returning.
I let it go but then like always the next day I noticed this rash had spread to my upper body and now on the back of my shoulders.
OFF TO THE DR we go. I could not get to see my own DR so I was seen by another ...who bless her did not know what it was , I was advised the usual if it spreads more or does not clear up then come back.
I noticed my skin across my body started to look like I had cellulite when looking in the MIRROR but then could see it was not so , it was infact the condition breaking out.
So then because of looking in the mirror again and wondering what this was I realised how why we do not like mirrorsat times....BECAUSE THEY TELL THE TRUTH AND SHOW YOU HOW YOU LOOK ON THE OUTSIDE.
Of course this started to knock my confidence a little as I found myself worrying over where to this rash would spread to .
On to the world of GOOGLE we go and instead of just typing in skin conditions and clicking on links...I went through Google images and tried to match pictures similar to what I had.
There was one which stood out and matched alost spot on.
Earlier this week I noticed this condition on myself skin was spreading further , small pink round patched with dried out centres were appearing this time all over my back my arms , inner thighs and front of my torso.
BACK WE GO again to the Dr.
I was assessed by the Nurse Practitioner who straight away said it was PITYRIASIS ROSEA . To confirm this she asked my Dr who was in his office on Facebook to come in for a second opinion. He agreed looking at the patch and agreed over my body this was Pityriasis Rosea.
He advised this is normally related to a virus , and this will maintain for 4-6 weeks then it just disappears on his own , there is no treatment and there is no cure for this.
Right!
SO I return home yes of course relieved that we finally known what this is. Yes as mentioned this matched some of the picture findings from Google.
So I got to work and researched into this more.
ALot of websites saying the same information as given by my DR.
Then scanned through peoples comments or postings in Chat Forums who were or had suffered from this condition.
Alot of sufferer's we swearing by one simple shampoo that they call the cure for this.....HEAD AND SHOULDERS shampoo.
Many people claiming they had done the usual tried creams , lotions and potions and found nothing worked to clear this up.
Then they had seen others write about using the shampoo and try it for themselves and within 5-14 days they condition disappears.
Now I am one for being open minded but they is an obvious connection for Head and Shoulders to be a cure for this.
Head and Shoulders as we all know is advertised to treatment for dandruff which incase people didnt not know this is caused by a Fungal Infection on the scalp! if in doubt check this out. http://www.headandshoulders.co.uk/en-GB/justthefacts/what-is-dandruff.jspx
There is an active ingredient in H&S they obviously is not just working for Dandruff but also Pityriasis Rosea.
The medical profession are now just hearing and seeing alot of patients curing themsleves at home with a simple shampoo.
Its crazy isn't it????
So guess what I will be replacing my shower gel with for the next two weeks as a trial...yes I will be showering in H&S.
Then also a few trips to the sunbeds may be needed as again chat forums and comment forums people recommend using small sunbed session on these human meat cookers.
So we shall see if this proclaimed domestic household shampoo really does work.
As for myself ..my body seems to be just reacting lately to alot of emotions and ups and downs the usual however the mirror ...as much as we either love standing there at times checking out how good we look or how great we are in shape.......the tables turn when it shows us something which shouldn't be there or looks unpleasantly to the eye
......A MIRROR = FRIEND or FOE ????????????
Earlier this week despite trying to find out what the mirror was showing me ...I also had a meeting with the Knee Surgeon who is unfortunate to land me as his patient . in July it has now been decided I am to undergo Athroscopic Surgery on my knee....finally so it will be surgery on the morning and Starbucks on the afternoon!
Friday 27 May 2011
Wednesday 18 May 2011
May I ?
May has arrived and now suddenly we seemed to be coming towards the end of may before we know it. Interesting.
This month has been quite rewarding public have been spoilt with two bank holiday weekends for those who are not familiar with this its an extended weekend meaning Friday , Saturday , Sunday and Monday. First for the Easter Bank Holiday then the following weekend in which Facebook and Twitter went into overdrive- The Royal Wedding.
Soon in little over a weeks time another Bank Holiday Weekend is fast approaching.
From my side I am not at the point where I seem to of hit what I call the VOID. This is when I feel I am stuck in Limbo and cannot commit to present plans until I have a final plan of action i.e the knee and surgery.
I have really seemed to of lost focus at this moment in time and I am more concerned for staying in shape and trying to keep my fitness up. To be honest this at present has been a struggle to draw on focus again after a four week break.
I have always been for one resting after a long and demanding contract but only for short periods six weeks is normally my maximum. Then back on to keeping the body in shape and limber.
Now it seems that the body also is changing and I find it more demanding questioning myself as to why my body does not look like this or like that when I even see guys built with Bodies like Adonis.
HOWEVER saying this as much as it all is good to look at for cosmetic reasons . One thing is for sure is that do those bodies actually have Physical Strength?
Guys are brainwashed into looking muscular and buffing up. One thing over the years with working along side guys who do live in the gym to buff.....they do not possess the same strength to those who trained in Pilates or Yoga.
The difference is alot of GYM workouts are designed on you to use the larger muscle groups such as Biceps or Quads for example.
Whereas Pilates training gets right down to every muscle fibres to lengthen and strengthen them. It has become more recognised now but these days with internet advertising guys are more pressured to look like Adonis. But how long will they go before those who beef up become to over Bulked as I've noted some guys look more like the Michelin Man from over developing .
Pilates however keeps your muscles in shape and refined for life. After six months you will realise you have developed more strength and control from doing slow and precise exercises to Large Loads and explosive movements to those in a Gym.
Also I always hear more people returning from a session from the GYM saying they have hurt themselves or done that or done too much.
then I would walk out of Pilates and feel calm..relaxed and worked out. Because with Pilates you use your own body resistance. Very much like Gymnasts train with out the back flips.
There are some things good about being a dancer.....the self discipline is always there but the paranoia of loosing a good body shape will drive me to madness.
With all this I am also trying to make further life changes and make a very brave transition away from Dance having being advised that surgery will affect my knee afterwards.. this is will of course challenge myself when the times come but I am ready in my mind now to transition away to try new avenues and taste a new life style and experience. LONDON is now on the plans.
One thing I have learnt to take my mind off things lately ...Gardening. Mother has always been an avid and passionate Gardener and now I have been learning from the Guru of Grass Seeding and landscaping. All I will say is it is the most relaxing method i have found to keep me calm and peaceful especially on an evening when it is drawing dark and the night is arriving and I would go out to hose down the grass , flowers and plants....the scent in the air is so relaxing and everything feels calm....try it.
So this was my way in May how was yours?
This month has been quite rewarding public have been spoilt with two bank holiday weekends for those who are not familiar with this its an extended weekend meaning Friday , Saturday , Sunday and Monday. First for the Easter Bank Holiday then the following weekend in which Facebook and Twitter went into overdrive- The Royal Wedding.
Soon in little over a weeks time another Bank Holiday Weekend is fast approaching.
From my side I am not at the point where I seem to of hit what I call the VOID. This is when I feel I am stuck in Limbo and cannot commit to present plans until I have a final plan of action i.e the knee and surgery.
I have really seemed to of lost focus at this moment in time and I am more concerned for staying in shape and trying to keep my fitness up. To be honest this at present has been a struggle to draw on focus again after a four week break.
I have always been for one resting after a long and demanding contract but only for short periods six weeks is normally my maximum. Then back on to keeping the body in shape and limber.
Now it seems that the body also is changing and I find it more demanding questioning myself as to why my body does not look like this or like that when I even see guys built with Bodies like Adonis.
HOWEVER saying this as much as it all is good to look at for cosmetic reasons . One thing is for sure is that do those bodies actually have Physical Strength?
Guys are brainwashed into looking muscular and buffing up. One thing over the years with working along side guys who do live in the gym to buff.....they do not possess the same strength to those who trained in Pilates or Yoga.
The difference is alot of GYM workouts are designed on you to use the larger muscle groups such as Biceps or Quads for example.
Whereas Pilates training gets right down to every muscle fibres to lengthen and strengthen them. It has become more recognised now but these days with internet advertising guys are more pressured to look like Adonis. But how long will they go before those who beef up become to over Bulked as I've noted some guys look more like the Michelin Man from over developing .
Pilates however keeps your muscles in shape and refined for life. After six months you will realise you have developed more strength and control from doing slow and precise exercises to Large Loads and explosive movements to those in a Gym.
Also I always hear more people returning from a session from the GYM saying they have hurt themselves or done that or done too much.
then I would walk out of Pilates and feel calm..relaxed and worked out. Because with Pilates you use your own body resistance. Very much like Gymnasts train with out the back flips.
There are some things good about being a dancer.....the self discipline is always there but the paranoia of loosing a good body shape will drive me to madness.
With all this I am also trying to make further life changes and make a very brave transition away from Dance having being advised that surgery will affect my knee afterwards.. this is will of course challenge myself when the times come but I am ready in my mind now to transition away to try new avenues and taste a new life style and experience. LONDON is now on the plans.
One thing I have learnt to take my mind off things lately ...Gardening. Mother has always been an avid and passionate Gardener and now I have been learning from the Guru of Grass Seeding and landscaping. All I will say is it is the most relaxing method i have found to keep me calm and peaceful especially on an evening when it is drawing dark and the night is arriving and I would go out to hose down the grass , flowers and plants....the scent in the air is so relaxing and everything feels calm....try it.
So this was my way in May how was yours?
Sunday 17 April 2011
April's Edition
Following on from February and yes I realised I have skipped and seem to have no recall that March ever happened so time to commit to sitting down and play catch-up.
In the ever learning of day to day in which is honestly am compelled to write is that no one is experienced in life to stand by their own words that they know it all.
I am still finding difficult to now realise what immense demands physically I had requested my body to do as a career. Hence why right now I am focusing on amending and correcting still what the career has put out of place.
For many years Dancers use what means they can to avoid loss of a job , wages , and in general security for the fear of missing out and missing opportunities.
Just the other day at my request I was referred on to a second hospital as from previous diagnosis and medical opinions did not quite match up nor did I see any general rewarding improvement. Hence why a little determination and perseverance to go further and dig deeper into this.
Previous treatment as mentioned before involved just sitting on a bed whilst the Physiotherapist prescribed five minutes of Ultra Sound and five minutes of infra red........Honestly this did nothing at all before or afterwards.
This occasion I was met by the head Physiotherapist whose area of expertise is post -op for knee patients. Upon meeting this lady I could tell straight away that I would be dealing with and soon to be treated by someone who clearly was rife with knowledge. The constant attention , the attentive eye contact , to asking in depth questions to get a clear picture.
Later to be escorted to a private room where a thorough physical hands on assessment was given......lets just say I had the knee pushed and pulled and inverted in ways I did not realise could do so....then came the which did make me want to go a little light headed and close to emptying my stomach content........taking hold of the Knee Cap (Patella) by pinching three finders around the sides and the knee cap was lifted up away from the joint then I was asked to bend my knee up as far as it would go then to straight again.....what made me feel close to vomiting was the fact there were suddenly sounds of constant clicking and crunching coming from the knee joint.
After this the Physio disappears and informs me she would like to take a second look at my MRI scan from last Autumn.
Fifteen minutes later she returns to inform that she had taken a look however had called a Knee Surgeon to also take a look as there were two overlooked areas which were contributing to this knee injury.
At last I knew at that point ...finally people who mean business.
Not only was the previous diagnosis close but what was overlooked was what else had contributed to this....answer: The Anterior Meniscus was overflapping out of the inside of the joint.
The Knee joint itself is made up with the Tibia and Femur however it was discovered that the tip of my femur where there is to be a natural groove for the knee cap to rest neutral in has worn to almost flat hence why the knee cap is displaced to the outside of the knee joint.
Along with that causes further muscular imbalances.
Along with my Physical assessment by just standing in the Anatomical Position the Physio looked at my standing tall with hands down by the sides , looked at me sideways , then from behind.
What surprised me further was that I did not even think about how much I had relied upon my whole right side of my body to compensate for the struggling left knee.
It came to my attention after it was pointed out that not only was the entire right leg more dominant but the muscular structure was over paramount in compared to my entire left leg which had small calf muscle and less sculpted and bulked thigh.
I did not even realise this until further pointed out that when standing my Right knee was straight and set right.....the left knee was not even close to a full straight lock which also nor had the muscles at the top of the left thigh actually kicked in...why ...Because it was clear through injury it all became a weakened structure and the right had totally taken the brunt to over compensate.
So what would be the possible plan of action ....
A) Meniscus to be surgically shaved to sort out the over flapping out of the joint.
B) To look at creating a new groove at the tip of the femur so that more stability could be regained within the left knee joint (however this kind of operation is normally associated with a knee joint replacement so it is questionable of being relatively young to have this done now whereas in ten to fifteen years time for it to be done again ...then again but then there are only so many you could have done......
However with all this being clarified it took time to digest as again you wanted answers you go and get them...but then its funny how when it is too much information you need to take time to let it all sink in and just accept.
So by next Wednesday I shall find out what is to be done as right now Physio is out until we know the best course of action....it may turn out that the Knee Surgeon advises the Physio just to put me through some intense Physio...but it was her questioning about her findings that lead to the knee surgeon being called upon.
So after all this information....especially when you look at the screen and scroll down and think....to long too much to read.....a lot has been learnt and a lot is yet to be learnt.
So as much as I use to be one of those who would say "just get on with it"....or work to your point where you then have to stop......now my opinion has changed .....DO NOT DO ANYTHING until the signs of warning have been adhered to.
So next on Liam puts the world to rights..............read in next month.
In the ever learning of day to day in which is honestly am compelled to write is that no one is experienced in life to stand by their own words that they know it all.
I am still finding difficult to now realise what immense demands physically I had requested my body to do as a career. Hence why right now I am focusing on amending and correcting still what the career has put out of place.
For many years Dancers use what means they can to avoid loss of a job , wages , and in general security for the fear of missing out and missing opportunities.
Just the other day at my request I was referred on to a second hospital as from previous diagnosis and medical opinions did not quite match up nor did I see any general rewarding improvement. Hence why a little determination and perseverance to go further and dig deeper into this.
Previous treatment as mentioned before involved just sitting on a bed whilst the Physiotherapist prescribed five minutes of Ultra Sound and five minutes of infra red........Honestly this did nothing at all before or afterwards.
This occasion I was met by the head Physiotherapist whose area of expertise is post -op for knee patients. Upon meeting this lady I could tell straight away that I would be dealing with and soon to be treated by someone who clearly was rife with knowledge. The constant attention , the attentive eye contact , to asking in depth questions to get a clear picture.
Later to be escorted to a private room where a thorough physical hands on assessment was given......lets just say I had the knee pushed and pulled and inverted in ways I did not realise could do so....then came the which did make me want to go a little light headed and close to emptying my stomach content........taking hold of the Knee Cap (Patella) by pinching three finders around the sides and the knee cap was lifted up away from the joint then I was asked to bend my knee up as far as it would go then to straight again.....what made me feel close to vomiting was the fact there were suddenly sounds of constant clicking and crunching coming from the knee joint.
After this the Physio disappears and informs me she would like to take a second look at my MRI scan from last Autumn.
Fifteen minutes later she returns to inform that she had taken a look however had called a Knee Surgeon to also take a look as there were two overlooked areas which were contributing to this knee injury.
At last I knew at that point ...finally people who mean business.
Not only was the previous diagnosis close but what was overlooked was what else had contributed to this....answer: The Anterior Meniscus was overflapping out of the inside of the joint.
The Knee joint itself is made up with the Tibia and Femur however it was discovered that the tip of my femur where there is to be a natural groove for the knee cap to rest neutral in has worn to almost flat hence why the knee cap is displaced to the outside of the knee joint.
Along with that causes further muscular imbalances.
Along with my Physical assessment by just standing in the Anatomical Position the Physio looked at my standing tall with hands down by the sides , looked at me sideways , then from behind.
What surprised me further was that I did not even think about how much I had relied upon my whole right side of my body to compensate for the struggling left knee.
It came to my attention after it was pointed out that not only was the entire right leg more dominant but the muscular structure was over paramount in compared to my entire left leg which had small calf muscle and less sculpted and bulked thigh.
I did not even realise this until further pointed out that when standing my Right knee was straight and set right.....the left knee was not even close to a full straight lock which also nor had the muscles at the top of the left thigh actually kicked in...why ...Because it was clear through injury it all became a weakened structure and the right had totally taken the brunt to over compensate.
So what would be the possible plan of action ....
A) Meniscus to be surgically shaved to sort out the over flapping out of the joint.
B) To look at creating a new groove at the tip of the femur so that more stability could be regained within the left knee joint (however this kind of operation is normally associated with a knee joint replacement so it is questionable of being relatively young to have this done now whereas in ten to fifteen years time for it to be done again ...then again but then there are only so many you could have done......
However with all this being clarified it took time to digest as again you wanted answers you go and get them...but then its funny how when it is too much information you need to take time to let it all sink in and just accept.
So by next Wednesday I shall find out what is to be done as right now Physio is out until we know the best course of action....it may turn out that the Knee Surgeon advises the Physio just to put me through some intense Physio...but it was her questioning about her findings that lead to the knee surgeon being called upon.
So after all this information....especially when you look at the screen and scroll down and think....to long too much to read.....a lot has been learnt and a lot is yet to be learnt.
So as much as I use to be one of those who would say "just get on with it"....or work to your point where you then have to stop......now my opinion has changed .....DO NOT DO ANYTHING until the signs of warning have been adhered to.
So next on Liam puts the world to rights..............read in next month.
Monday 21 February 2011
February Times
February seems to have gone light speed ahead and already we are near the end of such a short month in our calender.
Funny people where talking and actually complaining that January was dragging on a little bit too long after the festive break of 2010.
So far planning my year of 2011 has progressed well , I am finally starting to move on with the driving in which I have to say I started back in 2004 and actually sat my practical exam....a few minors how the serious major that failed myself was SPEED. So my new target month for passing my test would be July 2011 as that is when the provisional expires even though it is valid for ten years.
Following on from a rather promiscuous and monotonous knee injury involving the patella of the left knee deciding to displace itself leading to instability and quite frankly a pain in the arse rehabilitation.
So quite a few visits for Physiotherapy under an NHS team that seem to think that five minutes of Physio is sufficient and will help.......yeah right five minutes...it takes a twenty minute journey and to be just sat on the physio table being zapped for five minutes.....I find the visit to the Coffee shop there is more rewarding.
Another attempt of self rehabilitation is training under the new Barre method which combines the elements of Dance , Pilates and resistant weight training. It is ideal for Dancers and I would recommend this to alot of working or up and coming dancers to train with .
Now 2011 is starting to pick up pace so do stay current with me and we shall see what is around the corner......
Funny people where talking and actually complaining that January was dragging on a little bit too long after the festive break of 2010.
So far planning my year of 2011 has progressed well , I am finally starting to move on with the driving in which I have to say I started back in 2004 and actually sat my practical exam....a few minors how the serious major that failed myself was SPEED. So my new target month for passing my test would be July 2011 as that is when the provisional expires even though it is valid for ten years.
Following on from a rather promiscuous and monotonous knee injury involving the patella of the left knee deciding to displace itself leading to instability and quite frankly a pain in the arse rehabilitation.
So quite a few visits for Physiotherapy under an NHS team that seem to think that five minutes of Physio is sufficient and will help.......yeah right five minutes...it takes a twenty minute journey and to be just sat on the physio table being zapped for five minutes.....I find the visit to the Coffee shop there is more rewarding.
Another attempt of self rehabilitation is training under the new Barre method which combines the elements of Dance , Pilates and resistant weight training. It is ideal for Dancers and I would recommend this to alot of working or up and coming dancers to train with .
Now 2011 is starting to pick up pace so do stay current with me and we shall see what is around the corner......
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Another year another coffee
Well in all honesty another year for myself means just another set of numbers. I do not need to focus on new plans for self improvement or plans to change my ways in life. My question to everyone....why does it always have to be 1st day of the 1st Month that we believe we need to make changes. We can make changes for ourselves at anytime.
For many of you who do not know of me I am one of many professional dancers within the Entertainment industry here in the UK.
For over ten years now I have been part of one of the toughest and unstable professions that is present. Do not get me wrong this profession comes with many highs but it can come at some serious low points for many artistes in this working field and it can cost them.
An average member of the public "Joe Bloggs" will go and see a show such as a Musical or a Ballet for example to observe the talented dancers who are actually "Performing Athletes" and yet compared to our country's love of football those artistes are far from a footballer's salary. During a performance on a stage you would not see a member of the cast rolling around holding their face within their hands and performing "Crocodile Tears" faking an injury whereas I am always bemused to see our footballers puling such bullshit during their live games is beyond my belief. They do make some award winning Drama performance do those boys in shorts!
Artistes within this industry are always running the gauntlet as it is a world where our daily lives consists of auditions , rehearsals , performances sometimes all three in the one day.
As Dancers the drug of the physical art form is addictive and many thrive on the feel good factor of staying in shape , or being on stage and thriving on the energy of an audience or there are some who just thrive on attention in general.
My experience has seen an art form become sadly a fashion one minute it is in then the next it is out. Over the years the industry has gone through serious change. 9/11 blew the West End out of the water and we can see it is still challenged and we hold our breathes when new productions open and the big question is always...how long will this last???
Reality TV shows now have created a influx of people believing they can Dance which again these shows have discovered some incredible talents that have not trained under or been trained nor guided for a life in this profession so how are they going to mentally prepare for the rollercoaster of this profession. Yet the reality is live theatre is now dying out .
Unless something is seriously amazingly created to not just the older more mature'r generations then the new Generation of audiences I am referring to those of the 1990's generation who have grown up to experience entertainment at the touch of a button.
It is very rare to hear of my brother and his friends who are ten years my junior of them even knowing or understanding of a musical theatre production or a straight play. Nope they are the internet generation.
This phase is pushing the creative demands of choreography to really throw out all technique and move to more freestyle with acrobatics as this is creating more interest for to a modern day audience and to up and coming aspiring dancers.
However this is becoming gravely alarming as within this profession there are some incredible dancers who are trained to the highest advanced standards in Dance some like myself trained in Classical Ballet yet I hate to admit this ....but these days this no longer matters there are now more dancers out of work not because they have the strongest technique or they have a CV that fills over three pages of A4 (but you should know this but do try to keep it all on the one page otherwise Casting Directors start to just scan through and not really pay attention.) or because they are incredible artistes and beautiful looking ones at that. Its now becoming more about the latest fashionable image. I grow tired of seeing people try to attempt Ballet class wearing sneakers!!!!!!!! Or even dancing around in them with baggy pants hanging of their lower butt cheeks...to say this..."PULL THEM UP GET A GRIP AND GET YOUR SNEAKERS OFF!!!"
It is now rare to see more dancers doing ballet class these days then when you look at a freestyle / hop hop class and see these are packed with condensation covering the studios mirrors.
It use to be Dance consisted of four major categories Ballet , Tap , Jazz , Modern. Now there is classes for even the latest craze of ZUMBA in which they say you can be qualified to teach this within a day.
Dance is not a craze its an art form however its has been allowed to be a fashionable craze like the clothing shops on the high street.
Professional Dancers are now having to push themselves to extremes where for some they are totally having to re train their styles and adapt and even forget about certain techniques or movements why???? IT IS OUT IT IS NOT IN NO LONGER.
Many dancers in shows are always pushing their physical instruments to the extremes and many have to receive Physiotherapy or use holistic therapies to rehabilitate from or aiding an injury that Dancers acquire.
Injuries include commonly , torn Hamstrings , spraining of the ankle joints , meniscus tearing within the Knee , lower back injuries , rotator cuff injuries and neck injuries.
However alot of dancers still are not healed from previous injuries why? As they can not afford the costs to do so. West End wages continue to go up and down although they seem to be more down than up. The dancers are not normally on anything over 700 GBPs a week.
This brings me back to the mentioning of the difference between footballers and Dancers....Dancers are Machines...footballers are boys who are mothered in cotton.
You learn to adapt in every situation as a Dancer every contract you take is never the same , you have to be adaptable you have to run the gauntlet of the day to day auditions , rehearsals and shows to survive but then there is no set security. BY this I am referring to the point we may be in work for a contracted period of time then after this contract is over...unless you are lucky and can do everything you may be out of work for some serious time sometimes six months of waiting tables or even one to two years standing on a shop floor. Waiting for your time again. Even though you may have been rejected from numerous auditions as every audition is different I find it depends on the day.
You can be the most stunning guy and in great shape and can dance , but if you can't sing then bye bye...or You may be an incredible singer ...but can't dance to well then bye bye, It will even come down to your height , hair I lost a job once because of my hair this was when the (Mullet was in ) some four years ago...the casting director did not like that at the time. With auditions you never know what they really are looking for.
Many dancers spend alot of their careers off stage then actually on it in their lives. Do not expect to be loaded with money and can buy everything materialistic then be set for life. It is not the reality of it all. It is one very tough profession where by the strength of a persons Character and Talent can help them survive and ride out the ups and downs within the life of a Dancer.
Many Dancers these days will retire and even career change five years after graduating as they realise its not all Glitz and Glamour at all.
Though for some the drug keeps them going and they are top of their league but then even they may not work for long periods of time.
For many of you who do not know of me I am one of many professional dancers within the Entertainment industry here in the UK.
For over ten years now I have been part of one of the toughest and unstable professions that is present. Do not get me wrong this profession comes with many highs but it can come at some serious low points for many artistes in this working field and it can cost them.
An average member of the public "Joe Bloggs" will go and see a show such as a Musical or a Ballet for example to observe the talented dancers who are actually "Performing Athletes" and yet compared to our country's love of football those artistes are far from a footballer's salary. During a performance on a stage you would not see a member of the cast rolling around holding their face within their hands and performing "Crocodile Tears" faking an injury whereas I am always bemused to see our footballers puling such bullshit during their live games is beyond my belief. They do make some award winning Drama performance do those boys in shorts!
Artistes within this industry are always running the gauntlet as it is a world where our daily lives consists of auditions , rehearsals , performances sometimes all three in the one day.
As Dancers the drug of the physical art form is addictive and many thrive on the feel good factor of staying in shape , or being on stage and thriving on the energy of an audience or there are some who just thrive on attention in general.
My experience has seen an art form become sadly a fashion one minute it is in then the next it is out. Over the years the industry has gone through serious change. 9/11 blew the West End out of the water and we can see it is still challenged and we hold our breathes when new productions open and the big question is always...how long will this last???
Reality TV shows now have created a influx of people believing they can Dance which again these shows have discovered some incredible talents that have not trained under or been trained nor guided for a life in this profession so how are they going to mentally prepare for the rollercoaster of this profession. Yet the reality is live theatre is now dying out .
Unless something is seriously amazingly created to not just the older more mature'r generations then the new Generation of audiences I am referring to those of the 1990's generation who have grown up to experience entertainment at the touch of a button.
It is very rare to hear of my brother and his friends who are ten years my junior of them even knowing or understanding of a musical theatre production or a straight play. Nope they are the internet generation.
This phase is pushing the creative demands of choreography to really throw out all technique and move to more freestyle with acrobatics as this is creating more interest for to a modern day audience and to up and coming aspiring dancers.
However this is becoming gravely alarming as within this profession there are some incredible dancers who are trained to the highest advanced standards in Dance some like myself trained in Classical Ballet yet I hate to admit this ....but these days this no longer matters there are now more dancers out of work not because they have the strongest technique or they have a CV that fills over three pages of A4 (but you should know this but do try to keep it all on the one page otherwise Casting Directors start to just scan through and not really pay attention.) or because they are incredible artistes and beautiful looking ones at that. Its now becoming more about the latest fashionable image. I grow tired of seeing people try to attempt Ballet class wearing sneakers!!!!!!!! Or even dancing around in them with baggy pants hanging of their lower butt cheeks...to say this..."PULL THEM UP GET A GRIP AND GET YOUR SNEAKERS OFF!!!"
It is now rare to see more dancers doing ballet class these days then when you look at a freestyle / hop hop class and see these are packed with condensation covering the studios mirrors.
It use to be Dance consisted of four major categories Ballet , Tap , Jazz , Modern. Now there is classes for even the latest craze of ZUMBA in which they say you can be qualified to teach this within a day.
Dance is not a craze its an art form however its has been allowed to be a fashionable craze like the clothing shops on the high street.
Professional Dancers are now having to push themselves to extremes where for some they are totally having to re train their styles and adapt and even forget about certain techniques or movements why???? IT IS OUT IT IS NOT IN NO LONGER.
Many dancers in shows are always pushing their physical instruments to the extremes and many have to receive Physiotherapy or use holistic therapies to rehabilitate from or aiding an injury that Dancers acquire.
Injuries include commonly , torn Hamstrings , spraining of the ankle joints , meniscus tearing within the Knee , lower back injuries , rotator cuff injuries and neck injuries.
However alot of dancers still are not healed from previous injuries why? As they can not afford the costs to do so. West End wages continue to go up and down although they seem to be more down than up. The dancers are not normally on anything over 700 GBPs a week.
This brings me back to the mentioning of the difference between footballers and Dancers....Dancers are Machines...footballers are boys who are mothered in cotton.
You learn to adapt in every situation as a Dancer every contract you take is never the same , you have to be adaptable you have to run the gauntlet of the day to day auditions , rehearsals and shows to survive but then there is no set security. BY this I am referring to the point we may be in work for a contracted period of time then after this contract is over...unless you are lucky and can do everything you may be out of work for some serious time sometimes six months of waiting tables or even one to two years standing on a shop floor. Waiting for your time again. Even though you may have been rejected from numerous auditions as every audition is different I find it depends on the day.
You can be the most stunning guy and in great shape and can dance , but if you can't sing then bye bye...or You may be an incredible singer ...but can't dance to well then bye bye, It will even come down to your height , hair I lost a job once because of my hair this was when the (Mullet was in ) some four years ago...the casting director did not like that at the time. With auditions you never know what they really are looking for.
Many dancers spend alot of their careers off stage then actually on it in their lives. Do not expect to be loaded with money and can buy everything materialistic then be set for life. It is not the reality of it all. It is one very tough profession where by the strength of a persons Character and Talent can help them survive and ride out the ups and downs within the life of a Dancer.
Many Dancers these days will retire and even career change five years after graduating as they realise its not all Glitz and Glamour at all.
Though for some the drug keeps them going and they are top of their league but then even they may not work for long periods of time.
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