Developing my career

My ambition from being a small child has been to perform in public. Having done a great deal of dance training and obtaining national qualifications in a range of dance styles. I joined Worcester Operatic and Dramatic youth section at the age of eight. I performed a number of roles in musical comedy productions in both youth and adult productions.
   This experience has given me a love of the foot lights and at fourteen I secured a place in the Italia Conti school in London. In 2007 a place in the Italia Conti college to do a Diploma course and was supported through a DADA award. Throughout the 3 year program I undertook a number of rolls in Italia Conti productions broadening my skills in singing, acting and dancing. I fully expected to be able to secure parts in professional productions when I graduated in July 2010.
   During my final year at Italia Conti I was asked to do some teaching at the associates school based at the Clapham campus of Italia Conti and realised that I had some aptitude for teaching which also gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I found that seeing young children developing in performing arts to be a very satisfying experience. I continue to teach dance at the associates school on a part time basis and am taking up a further teaching appointment with Stagecoach. This also helps me to maintain a level of fitness and technique. It also gives me the opportunity to do some choreography at a junior level.
   In order to maintain my vocal skills I also started further singing lessons with a local coach in Worcester. In addition I wanted to build my confidence as a solo performer and with some help from a friend wrote a stand up comedy routine which I performed for the first time in December 2010 at the Leicester Square Theatre.
   Despite having a number of auditions and several recalls I had not obtained a casting by December 2010 and decided to develop a possible career in teaching Performing Arts. To do this I realised a graduate degree would be a big advantage in obtaining a teaching qualification and after investigating the options available decided to apply to Middlesex University to join the BAPP program.
   I am just starting the first module in February 2011 and having had my induction and read through the outline for the first module am very much looking forward to doing the work necessary to complete it and interact with other program participants over the course of the next 10 weeks.