I started my career in theatre as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, spending 10 years in London and touring in the UK and abroad. I loved my time performing however I always held a strong belief that dance, and the arts in general, could do so much more than entertain, that it could help shape and make positive change in people’s lives.
I moved from working on stage to taking on the role of Dance Development Officer with a local authority, and then I moved on to be Education Manager at Scottish Opera before joining the Creative Learning team at the King’s Theatre and Theatre Royal. I see my role as one that encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in theatre, to develop skills, nurture their creative imagination and have their voices heard.
We offer a range of programmes, including weekly classes for children and young people, schools and industry insight activities, community engagement as well as partnership projects with visiting productions. I see the work we do in Creative Learning as vital to supporting and discovering the next generation of audiences and creative talent, particularly those from under-represented communities or who have little opportunity to access live theatre.
The best thing about my job is the camaraderie that develops with every project – the shared goal, shared successes and challenges, and the sense that the work we do can make a difference.
We’ve had young people come through our programmes and go on to pursue a career in the industry and nothing ever diminishes seeing a first-time theatregoer discover the sheer joy of a live theatre experience. I work within a small team - it’s fast-paced, varied and we juggle multiple programmes at any one time, so it can be exhausting and challenging, but rewarding too.
Go Dance launched in 2008 as a community festival that celebrates the richness and diversity of dance making in Scotland. It showcases work from dancers aged 8 to 80 plus, vocational dance students - inclusive companies as well as schools - youth dance groups and emerging young choreographers.
The original idea was to open up the stage as a platform for groups to make, share and perform new work and the response from groups was incredible. It became a firm favourite in the theatre calendar and established itself as an annual event, attracting groups from across the central belt and beyond, although of course the event has been paused for the past two years (we actually went into lockdown on 16 March 2020, the night before Go Dance 20 was due to open.).
It’s important as there’s no other opportunity for aspiring dancers like it. There’s an incredible wealth of dance talent out there and for dancers to see their work beautifully lit on a main stage such as Theatre Royal with support from our wonderful technical team, is a unique experience.
This year whilst we are celebrating the long-awaited return of live work on stage, we are also showcasing some of the fantastic digital work that has been created throughout lockdown.
Go Dance runs at Theatre Royal from Tuesday 1 - Friday 4 February. For more information and tickets, visit: www.atgtickets.com/Glasgow
