This is me...

On reflection of my current CV and Profile I feel that I'm not giving myself enough credit as a Dance Teacher. I have always felt that I needed to add as much information about my performance history as possible so that I appeared as an experienced dancer. However my greatest accomplishments have come from my time as a dance teacher.

I had been thinking of my Professional Practice as my dance career on a whole but I have come to realise that while my earlier dance experiences have made me a dancer, it's my later training and work as a teacher that has made me a professional.

So instead of using references to historic performances dating back to my youth, my profile should reflect my current teaching credentials and successes. I have previously added the fact that I took a break from the dance industry for a few years but having now been back into teaching for the last 2 years this feels irrelevant. I have also questioned whether it is necessary to mention that I am a mum with 2 small children?  After some thought, I decided I wanted possible employers to see that I had a young family, this may not have been the case if I were still a performer as this may conflict with rehearsal or performance schedules, deeming me unsuitable for some roles. But as a dance teacher this shows I have the patience and understanding sometimes required when working with smaller children, and also that I am reliable and not likely to disappear on a 6 month dance contract.

My profile is also used on dance school websites and in student welcome packs, I feel that a bit of personal information in this context is nice for parents. And on a deeply honest note, I am also not the small, athletic looking dancer I once was and sharing that I have just had a baby makes me feel more comfortable about my body image.

This was my former profile.

To compile a new profile I have thought about how I want my blog readers to see me and how I now see my Professional Practice -

I am a teacher of Dance and Musical Theatre, specialising in teaching ISTD Ballet, Tap and Modern. I currently teach students from age 3 - 16 in both a dance school setting and in after school clubs in Kent. I trained at  the Miskin Theatre achieving a BTEC National Diploma in Advanced Dance and a PDC in small scale touring and physical theatre. I worked as an entertainer and cabaret performer for TUI from 2004 - 2009 returning to the UK to transition into dance teaching. I studied for my I.S.T.D DDI in modern and tap at Liz Burville Performing Arts Centre where I was then invited to teach the competition show teams, winning awards for choreography in the UK and USA. I went on to take over a local dance school as Principal, teaching ISTD syllabus classes, street dance, adult dance classes and Musical Theatre workshops. I was successful in staging annual Dance Performances and Examinations from 2010 - 2015. I have since gained experience teaching Contemporary Dance, Strength and Conditioning, Jazz and IDTA Ballet and Tap. I have continued to develop my teaching methods and styles through further training and research, and strive to create unique and ambitious choreography. I am now concentrating on my academic development by studying a BA (Hon) Professional Practice, Arts and Creative Industries at Middlesex University, while I am currently teaching ISTD Ballet, Tap, Modern and Street Dance at Langley School of Dance and KS1 Musical Theatre  for Centre Stage Theatre Academy. When I am not teaching or studying I am Mum to two year old Sullivan and 3 month old Roxie, who are an education in themselves. It is for them that I am embarking on this new journey to achieve my end  goal of becoming a primary school teacher.

This is the closest photo I've had to a head shot in 14 years. But this is me being proud to be a teacher. So i felt it was relevant