GradStock Digital Careers Week: Performing Arts Panel Discussion

I attended the zoom meeting during Middlesex University's Digital Careers Week. 

On the panel were the following:

Will Mauchline, Company Director, Birmingham Royal Ballet

Yamin Choudhury, Joint CEO and Artistic Director, Hackney Empire

Fern Potter, Chair of Candoco Dance Company, Mentor for Mercury Creatives Programme

Matt Annecharico, Singer/Songwriter/Entrepreneur

All of the students had their cameras off, and were mainly listening to the advice being passed down from the panel. I felt like there was so much wisdom to be absorbed, despite all coming from varying artistic backgrounds. Whether their background was acting, teaching, arts funding and finance, arts management, commercial work, contemporary dance or singing, it was all so relatable.  

Will began explaining what he looked for in a candidate he would interview for a potential job. As artists, we have many transferable skills. For example, me being a trained ballet dancer, I naturally am good with orders, multi-tasking, being a team player, a good communicator etc. However, in an interview setting, Will stated how he wants the candidate to prove how they are a 'good communicator'. To tell the story of why or how you failed, what did you learn in the process? Another tip Will said was to simply be nice. You must be able to work with the team around you, it is not all about just technical brilliance. Yamin phrased it very well, to have "attitudinal brilliance". 

Another key topic for discussion was networking. 

- Be brave

- Open the question

- Always be keen to learn. Have a willingness to learn

- Start with volunteering

- Sign up to webinars and all opportunities

- 'Failing' results in the opportunity to learn

- Start off small

- Get good at writing. Write well! 

Usually when job hunting, one must have to email as a first impression, hence the need to be able to write well. I am glad I attended the BAPP Skype call workshop about writing. When the panel were talking about networking, I was the first to then turn on my camera! The irony of what they were saying in that situation led me to be brave and communicate with my face over the screen, which seemed most fitting. 

I asked a question to the panel towards the end of the call:

How can dancers be more vocal? How can dancers communicate better? 

Auditions for dancers very rarely have a formal interview section, as our art form is based on physicality.

Fern Potter answered my question as she was a dancer in New York before going into arts management. She said that the easiest way to verbally communicate in a dance audition is to ask a question, or flattery. "Oh that is a wonderful piece of choreography". All of the panellists found my question interesting, and Yamin said to really make the emails written well as that is the one-shot you have of verbally expressing yourself. Of course I have been auditioning since my graduating year 2017-2018, but I feel I have a new set of eyes going back out on the audition wagon during Covid-19! 

The last key points I managed to jot down were:

- BE REMEMBERED

- What makes up the venue are the people inside it

- Write short emails

- There are no closed doors, you just aren't knocking hard enough

- It is a relationship-based industry business

- Create your own art square garden

- Actively look for opportunities, as they are rarely posted online 

- Networking builds relationships

- Don't wait to be enabled to be a label - Yamin