Dancer
Do you just love moving to the music, getting up on the dance floor and doin' your thing?! Does the idea of getting on stage in front of zillions of people seem thrilling? What about a career in dance? Meet Alison Rossiter who has been dancing for about 18 years!!
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Alison Rossiter currently dances and choreographs for the Paul Kelly Motor Company (P.K.M.C) Crusaders dance squad, and dances for musical theatre for Showbiz ChCh and for Chante et Danse corporate cabaret company. She has also run her own dance company called Extreme Dance Force and works as a freelance choreographer / performer. What does being a dancer involve?Being a dancer involves a combination of 'passion for dance / performing' and dedication. You need to first of all have a real love for dance no matter what the style and enjoy being challenged. Dancing requires a huge amount of time and commitment - to turn up to classes and to be able to practise in your own time, which is very important. If you have a real passion for dance this really doesn't seem like work and the rewards of performance always outweighs the practise time! You can't beat the 'performance buzz!' Why did you decide you wanted to be a dancer?From an early age I always enjoyed listening to music and dancing around the house. I remember watching a dance performance on T.V and thinking "I want to be like that!" I then began putting on little shows in my back yard (at the age of 5!) and secretly inviting the neighbours around to watch! My mother would see people walking up our path and wonder what was going on! She would then find me jumping on the trampoline in some scary looking costume singing and dancing at the top of my lungs! Just as well the neighbours thought it was cute! From there it progressed and now I'm jumping on a stage and the rugby field entertaining people! Do you work full-time as a dancer or do other work/study as well?I am currently a teacher at St Margaret's College in Christchurch. I teach dance in education to students aged from primary to Year 12. I also work as the Choreographer and dancer for the Paul Kelly Motor Company dancers, dancing at the Crusaders Rugby Team home games at Jade Stadium. Other dance work includes performing in shows for Showbiz Christchurch and for corporate work with the cabaret company Chante et Danse. Was there any other job you ever seriously considered?I originally trained as a primary school teacher, and then began to focus more on performing arts and dance. I used to want to be a fire woman! What study and qualifications did you have to do to become a dancer?I trained for dance with Sandra Gray Dance Academy, learning styles of American Jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, lyrical and a little ballet. I continue to attend workshops and classes to up skill in new work and different dance forms. I also trained at Christchurch College of Education for my teaching qualifications. What other skills do you need to be a dancer?You need good communication skills, especially if you are working in a dance group or teaching dance. You need to be self-motivated, organised and very enthusiastic! Do you get nervous getting up in front of so many people and performing?No
matter how much training and rehearsal you do for a performance you will always
get nervous! I think this is a good thing though, as it makes you fully aware
of everything you are about to do and keeps you focused. What is the best thing about the job?The best thing is working with an awesome team of people and making so many new and often life long friends. It is also very rewarding as Choreographer of the squad to see your work being performed by a big group of such good dancers and especially when everyone performs 'perfectly in time with no mistakes!', hee,hee! What is the hardest thing about the job?The hardest thing is always the rehearsal of a dance, especially if you are tired or not feeling very well, but always still have to turn up to practise. Sometimes as Choreographer you can have 'blanks' when creating new moves for the next dance! But you always get there in the end! What hours do you work?I teach during the day at St Margaret's College. For the rugby dance squad we practise every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7 - 9. I then spend many hours choreographing (making up) the dances. When I am rehearsing for a show with Showbiz Christchurch this includes being at rehearsals pretty much every night of the week and some weekends. I then fit in rehearsals for other dance jobs around all of this! So YES a dancers life can be very crazy and busy! Do you find you have the time to do other things you enjoy? Is it hard to get a good work/life balance?Well as you can see from the previous question it can be very busy as a full time dancer. You tend to grab every opportunity you can to perform and it can lead to being far too busy! As it is seasonal work you do have down times when you can relax and enjoy other things in your life. What advice would you have for girls out there who might be thinking of becoming a dancer?If you are already in classes, enjoy what you are doing. Work hard at each class and pick one thing each session you would really like to achieve or get better at! If you are looking ahead to dance full time as a professional, continue to take classes in the style you most love, however I believe it is important to be a versatile dancer. Unless you are wanting to perform in a specific ballet company most employers will need you to be able to dance various dance styles. So take any opportunity to explore other styles. If you have never been to a dance class my advice is to look up some schools in the Yellow pages or talk to friends who are already dancing and see where they go. Then go along and either watch or give the class a go! Dance is an amazing way to express yourself and have fun. You don't need to be a specific look, size or age to learn to dance, so never think you are not right for it! Go on and give it a go! I'm sure you will love it! Dance, like anything, is always what you make it, so go ahead and take a risk! The rewards are huge! |
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