Living for the city...the importance of true friends.

No matter where life takes you, don't forget where you came from. -Anon

I have come to realise just how important this is when you move to a big city and undertake what is nowadays considered as a 'proper grown up person job'.  Quick heads up: Office jobs really aren't as scary as they appear to be and just because you throw on a suit everyday doesn't make you some big business entrepreneur who is far more important than anyone else.  Working in Moorgate amongst bankers and men rushing about with briefcases late for their next meeting can feel intimidating though- not gonna lie.  The key is to make it look as though you absolutely know what you're doing and to trick the bankers into thinking that you belong as part of their clan too.  It's a defence mechanism.  Holding a Starbucks cup and checking your watch whilst vaguely looking important helps too!   

I have recently become one of those really irritating people who dons the brightly coloured trainers with suit look on the tube.  Man, I despise myself, but heels in rush hour, yeah, they hurt!  Maybe they're on to something?!  Don't worry though, it's all a game.  Power play and perception.  I feel as though sometimes I'm in my very own version of the Truman Show and that obstacles and events have been placed in my way as a sequence of challenges to test my character and human condition.  I have been lucky enough to have great colleagues who are all lovely and supportive due to belonging to one of the more close knit offices in Moorgate, but the sallow looks on the faces of the people I pass everyday make me feel that my neighbours aren't as lucky.  So how to create a life outside of your work persona?

Easy. Friends. Ahh lovely, loyal friends.             

Last week I was fortunate enough to spend 3 days in a row meeting up with different groups of 'home home' friends and it made me understand just how hard it can be to make such companions in central London.  Do they ever come close to comparing with your high school/uni chums? I'm not so sure.  I mean you get great friends at work but socialising out of work can be tricky, there's the whole awkwardness over the whole add on Facebook thing.  I mean are you really ready for your manager to see what sort of things you get up to?  Or what you may have 'liked' in the past? Probably not the best idea in a professional setting.  Surely that means they can never truly know the real you though?!

Night out with school buddies in London.

Then there's the peril of gym people that insist on befriending you whilst you're in the changing rooms and they're applying talc to awkward places.  I mean where do you look?!  If you only limit yourself to eye contact then it looks as though you're not comfortable with it but look anywhere else and you become a bit of a perv!  Nightmare.  

This is where the whole remembering your beginnings comes into play.  So keep in touch with old pals even if it's just skype and try and meet up with them when you can.  Trust me it does wonders for your sanity.  I am guilty of not doing this enough and know at times I need to make more of an effort. 

You don't want to get stuck in the corporate game.  Make your own rules and be ok with sometimes holding on to your past.  It's fine to want to experience new things and meet new people but just don't underestimate the true power of old friends in a big city.  Loyal friends are hard to come by so keep them close!

Why I'm jobless no more!

Yay I have a job!!  I win.  After months of uncertainty and stresses over money (the credit card has definitely taken a beating), I can finally say I have a 'proper grown up person job'.  I'll be working as of Monday at Mountbatten Institute as an Admissions Officer.  It involves (amongst lots of other things) interviewing applicants to the global exchange programmes and attending recruitment events to promote the courses by giving presentations.  Although it's not technically Dance or Drama related, I know for sure I would not have gained the job without my degree and general university experience. Before going to uni, I had only really had jobs in pubs/bars/restaurants.  Although I gained great experience from these in terms of customer service, my teacher at school told me to go to uni and do things I'd never done before to widen my experience base.  That's what I tried to do.

The best 8 decisions I made during uni that ultimately helped me get a job after it:

• Becoming a social sec for a Sports club-  You'd be amazed at how many transferrable skills you can squeeze out of that and implement into an interview.  Arranging discounts, liaising with night clubs/venues and members to get the best results possible. People person.
• Attending a FREE KU graduate bootcamp-  Drawing on experiences of team building exercises, creating and giving presentations whilst sticking to a strict deadline, CV writing.  I was asked about this day in detail during the interview, it looks great if you've made the effort to try and increase your employability rate.  
• Doing Dance and Drama-  Being able to convincingly fake confidence and keep my cool in the interview helped a lot. 
• Attending a writing course, publishing blogs and articles-  Social networking is more important now than ever before.  Proving you can sell yourself/ get opinions across effectively and with good english looks pretty damn good.  You have to be aware of your audience and show that you can tailor your writing to a varying clientele.  Communication skills. 
• Being a Student Ambassador-  Shows that you can support fellow students and work with lecturers effectively in order to promote your university. 
• Getting a part time Admin job-  Proof that you can use Excel, Word etc and input data effectively and to strict deadlines. 
• Getting LinkedIn-  Do it, do it now.
• Worked hard, played hard-  You are a human being.  My interviewers all asked me about what I do for fun, what I'm passionate about. Ok, so DON'T bring up that as a student you probably got drunk on a regular basis and missed lectures...they already assume that you did that anyways!  DO bring up that you like going out with friends and attending music gigs/poetry readings/cinema nights/whatever it is. It shows that you have a life and are like normal and stuff.   

The purpose of this is not to patronise, it's to reassure you that if you're still on the job hunt, there is hope.  I really thought it was never going to happen, it's so disheartening when you don't hear back from various applications and you feel like you're doing everything you can.  Use a reputable recruitment agency and go and meet them in person, you're more likely to get a job this way, because when they meet you they'll be able to picture you in different roles with ease.
                                       YOU WILL GET A JOB. IT WILL BE OK.
 You've just got to be patient and resilient.  Use experiences you've had and sell them, why were they important/awesome to you or others?  You're going to have way more awesome experience than I have I'm sure, it's just knowing how to sell it! 

Picture sourced:www.alifechangingjourney.com

  

             

Cabin Fever

You've consumed the entire contents of the fridge yet still open it regularly to check that the food fairy hasn't put something delicious in it for you...you would go to the shops to get a sugary snack but the last time you checked your wallet moths flew out in a frenzy.  Carbicide will have to wait for another day.  You can't leave the house simply as you can't afford to.  Doing any form of exercise seems impossible as ripping your eyes away from repeats of Friends is just not going to happen now is it? The classic that is 'Smelly Cat' wraps you in a warm cocoon of comedy.  

Yes.  You've guessed it, like many other students at this time I am stuck at home with my parents. Except, I'm not a student anymore.  It's that horrible gap between being a student and being completely unemployed.  I am on the cusp of graduating and so have gone crazy applying for jobs so I can move back to the big city.  Ahh London how I have missed you.  Your public transport that runs more than once an hour to worthy destinations, your complete and utter disregard for who I am and what I care about.  Letting me be a stranger.  Thank you.

I think the worst thing about my particular cabin fever experience is that my parents currently have the house up for sale so I have this feeling of impending doom that soon I wont really have a normal base. A familiar place to fall back on.  Everyone in the house is at work doing important job things, man, I want one of those.  A real reason to need to get out of bed in the morning.

I am moving in with my boyfriend to Brockley in London on Monday and have just about enough money in my account for two month's rent.  Quite scary knowing I haven't officially got any careers on the horizon as of yet but I am hopeful that I will get one soon.  Just get me out of this house!    

Funemployment?

The sting of my degree finishing and intermittently receiving those all important results has hit me hard.

I have been fortunate enough to complete the best 3 years of my life so far in the form of a Dance and Drama degree at Kingston University.  The blood, sweat and tears have all been worth it in terms of my growth as a person and my achievement of new skills.  The question is, has my particular degree been worth it in terms of now getting a job in the industry?

Now, I knew undertaking a degree in the Arts was a massive risk to take.  It seems almost impossible nowadays to get a job that pays the bills for you doing the thing you truly love, especially if it involves theatrical performance of any kind.  Perhaps I have shot myself in the foot here?!  

Unemployment so far has shown a great drop in my levels of motivation and a huge amount of uncertainty about what my reasons for getting a job may be.  For example, 'Ahh stuff it, should I just try and get a job at Foxtons because I'll get paid a lot?' 'No. Because people who work at Foxtons don't have a soul.'  'Ahh right, back to the drawing board I go then...'

Tell you what else sucks...not being able to tick the box 'Student' and having to move to 'Unemployed' instead, not cool.  Our student card discounts run out soon as well!  Noooo. Now we have to pay full price for stuff and everything.  Also not receieving any more student loan and instead facing the bitter realisation that YES YOU DO have to pay all that back!  Ouch.  Monopoly money no more...

As a graduate, you may find yourself making rash and totally unprovoked and or ill thought out decisions:

'Right!! That's it.  I'm going to Thailand to teach underprivileged children, and they're going to be pleased about it.  I'll probably like be made a head teacher there in the first 3 months...'

*Checks bank balance*

'Maybe I'll go next year instead...?'

Courtesy of : bumbumbee-tira.blogspot.com

I personally feel as though my whole unemployment situation phase is not that much fun at all.  Every time I go out and do something fun or relax, I have this niggling in my brain saying 'Oof you really should be getting on it now.  Get a job, you lazy thing!'  I have developed an actual fear of writing a proper Cv and my eye twitches every time I open up the dreaded document on Word.  I have probably put on what feels like a stone from emotional eating and sitting at the laptop and trawling through possible job options, and to top it off I feel like I don't have a driving force in my life.  A reason for being. 

My dad has told me to enjoy unemployment whilst I can, this is from a man who once held down 5 jobs at the same time when I was growing up to make sure we could like eat and stuff.  The man may have a point, but now that he's retired and finally unemployed he always says he's got to keep himself 'busy and doing little jobs' for fear of the minute that he stops, he dies.  That's what I kind of feel like I think.

I like having a purpose in life and a reason to get out of bed.  I genuinely thrive on challenges and am a competitive and hard working individual who gets a real kick out of getting paid for working hard.  I like to feel that I have earned my money and I am certainly no stranger to a working environment.  I just feel that waitressing/bar work isn't enough of a challenge for me anymore.  I want a job USING my degree please?  Then I promise I will look back at my unemployment phase and agree that it was quite fun after all!!  

  

Close Encounters

Swan Lake in-the-round, Dress Rehearsal

I’m pretty sure I must have had the best seat in the house for Tuesday night’s preview of Swan Lake; front row centre, and immediately next to a thrust of the stage – which provided a main entrance and exit for the dancers.

Photography by Ash
http://www.flickr.com/photos/englishnationalballet/sets/72157633595583731/

However, as I was about to discover, the position of your seat will not prevent your enjoyment of this fantastic performance!  The nature of this particular show being staged in the round means that any member of the audience has the opportunity of being inches away from the action, literally, at any given time.  Being in an aisle seat, I personally had the pleasure of being subjected to very close encounters with the performers.  And when I say close, I mean close.  The seaweed-like tendrils of wrath belonging to James Streeter’s costume, struck me on more than one occasion as he stormed on and off stage.  He played a fearless Rothbart showing an intense purpose which made us all gasp in delight.

This is not the only advantage of the staging.  Deane’s brave choice to use 60 swans for the production means that they flood the misty lake of the stage with ease, their synchronisation and canons meaning that you never miss a movement.  Your eyes take in the ghostly scenes unfolding from the haze; an overall closeness for the entire audience is achieved as their pirouettes and arabesques seem to reach every inch of the stage whilst remaining in perfect line formations.

Intimacy was achieved throughout the performance through the flawless technique showcased by the two principal roles of the evening, Daria Klimentová and Vadim Muntagirov, who personified a powerful chemistry as a duet.  A competitive edge was evident with each of them trying to surpass the efforts of the other during their pas de deux.  This took their already strong characters further, and gave a slight air of a mating ritual that was impossible to ignore.

Aside from the comments of approval that laced the audience as they left the Royal Albert Hall, perhaps the most talked about aspect of the adaptation was the welcome fairy tale ending.   You really must go and see it to believe it, from whichever seat you are sitting in!

ENB Review: Le Jeune Homme et la Mort

English National Ballet have done it again.

As part of the triple bill forming Ecstasy & Death, Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort is as Tamara Rojo puts it, a ‘masterpiece’.

The choreography tells a story of a young painter in Paris who descends into complete madness and finally suicide, after perilously lusting after a cold and unforgiving woman who ignores his affections.  Tamara Rojo and Nicolas Le Riche make their debut as a duo having not partnered before, yet they weave around the set confidently together with undeniable chemistry.  Bach’s Passacaglia creates a foreboding tone in the dark and dingy set, transporting us into the life and mind of a desperate manThe daring and visceral sexual caressing of various erogenous zones was a distorted direction from your typical ballet piece.  It demanded the audiences’ full attention.  These sexualised movements were coupled with complex and aggressive violence where Rojo commanded control to the point of the demise of the longing lover.  The performance also contained more subtle touches; a particularly interesting observation throughout the performance was the small puppet that dangled and hung by the artist’s bed, providing perhaps a look into what would become of him.  It is suggested that he has already had thoughts of hanging himself before the real torment begins.

Rojo and Le Riche bring the ballet to life with their impressive and convincing portrayal of notoriously strong characters.  They demonstrate immense technique but also a complete embodiment of raw emotion.  Taking us on a journey through despair, helplessness and then phases of fleeting hope, we watch as Le Riche is eventually dragged into the deep abyss of unrequited love.

Rojo fiercely exposes the ultimate femme fatale complete with saucy silk gloves and her hypnosis of both Le Riche and the audience with mesmerising and disarming qualities of movement.  Her eyes flash with a mixture of seductive delight and evil malice throughout, creating an unnerving yet playful effect.  She literally boxes her victim in like a shark around prey and then proceeds to teasingly disappear, leaving him in a haze of her cigarette smoke that lingers on the stage, like his ever-present infatuation for her.

Both a thrilling and chilling performance that left audience members in an awe and provoked passionate discussion as the curtain came down.  A masterpiece indeed.

Photo by David Jensen

My guide to avoiding procrastination...

As the period of exams and essay deadlines looms quicker by the second, you may find that your hand twitches towards the hoover, or the dwindling ingredients of your cupboards...

PUT THE HOOVER AND THE CHEESE GRATER DOWN.

You do not need to start making your next culinary delight that will conveniently take hours to complete, even longer if you have to go and source all of those important ingredients!  Neither do you need to start doing the hoovering, or cleaning your 'study space'.  That's what university libraries are for.  They're already clean for you (well cleaner than your room probably) and you don't need to waste precious amounts of time dusting and polishing away just so that you have an effective place to 'do my essays properly'.  Bonus....uni libraries also have books...yes BOOKS!  This may help you study somewhat.  Just a thought.

MAKING 'REVISION TIMETABLES' OR 'STUDY PLANS'.

Ok, in theory this organisational tool is great.  Of course it's a good idea to plan when you're going to study, set yourself mini deadlines.  Just don't waste time creating the sodding table with colour codes and pretty sketches.  NOT NECESSARY.  Pen. Paper. Monday-Sunday.  What you will achieve. Done.  Also...it helps if you actually STICK to the timetable.  Otherwise you have wasted all of those vibrant colours in vain.

SOCIAL MEDIA/NETWORKING SITES.

Possibly the biggest culprit of the bunch.  It becomes VERY important all of a sudden to be up to date with ANYTHING & EVERYTHING on the sites.  This includes university memes,  and pictures of cats being grumpy.  It is also not a good idea to then share such things with others in the hopes of getting those all important notifications...another reason to check your phone after a buzz.  'Ooo it might be a really important email from my lecturer'.  Nope...someone liked your picture of a dog wearing people clothes.  I have been guilty of this in the past.  It's a good idea to deactivate your phone being linked with such sites during exams etc so you don't get all of those unnecessary updates.

DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF.

Chronic procrastinators lie to themselves.  'Ohh I'll do it tomorrow, I'll be in a better mood then'. Or  'I really work best under pressure.'  Do it now...or seriously regret it the night before.

STUDY BREAKS.

These are fine, so long as they are just that.  A short break from study.  This does not mean you can have a break before you have even begun.  If you do need a study break, try to do something active and away from your books or computer.  A brisk walk in the fresh air will boost both energy levels and oxytocin levels (feel good hormone) meaning that you will be more positive and prepared for the task at hand.  Staying glued to your laptop or watching the tv will just strain your eyes EVEN more and actually tire you out.

MOST IMPORTANTLY...

Don't beat yourself up too much about a tiny bit of procrastination.  WE ALL DO IT.  Just accept that you do and make steps to drastically improve it. Oh and don't write blogs telling people not to procrastinate when that is in fact EXACTLY what you are doing.  Guilty.  Back to the books I go!!  

www.tshirtpusher.com 

Emerging Dancer 2013

The Queen Elizabeth Hall buzzed with an infectious clamour of excitement during Emerging Dancer 2013.  The atmosphere provided a feeling of support for all of the contenders, and a sense that it was just a chance for them to showcase their already exceptional talent. As a result, the competitors fed off this community buzz and gained an injection of poise.  A far cry from the sights and sounds I was fortunate enough to observe during the dress run.   Numerous camera shutters of the press pulsed to the rhythm of the competitors’ routines coupled with an occasional ‘Can we run that again please?’  Each light bulb on stage was to be tried and tested to ensure that it was not too overwhelming for the performers, in ensuring that they could turn effectively.  Nerves and adrenalin appeared to permeate the air, which became heavy with the weight of the silences that ensued after each presentation. 

Aside from the six finalists being passionate and talented in their art, they all had an ability to teeter on the edge of control during their sequences to the point where some spectators were left with bated breath. This unnerving quality created tension, as there were moments when if this exquisite balance had not been found, one could easily imagine they would fall flat on their faces.

However, as we learn through each piece, this is only the case with us mere mortals. The classical ballet technique and precision that the performers possess, is the work of super humans.  Alison McWhinney described her experience of ballet as the 'never ending quest for perfection.’  With such a codified form of dance that could be judged upon in terms of technique alone, it is no wonder this drive for achieving such precision exists.  It is when this standard of excellence endures across all of the artists, that it becomes apparent that something extra needs be brought to the stage, aside from flawless skill.

dancefirstthinklateruk.wordpress.com

Arguably, the effectiveness of emotion and characterisation were what set the competitors apart.  Feigned or not, Nancy Osbaldestone seemed to exude a strong sense of confidence, almost as if it were on steroids.  The playful elements of her solo choreographed by John Neumeier, included deliberate flirtatious eye contact and the snap of a delightfully naughty but nice fan.  Her vivacious bound off stage on its completion, suggested that she was confident with her enactment of the style.  This self-assurance was to be justified, as Darcy Bussell presented her at the end of the evening with the well-deserved Emerging Dancer prize.  The applause of the audience proceeded once more, as Osbaldestone’s face revelled in the once daunting lights of the stage. 

Good intentions...

Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time in a VERY long time.  I haven't been since last year in fact.  Yes, all of those new year promises and resolutions of getting fit finally infected me.  I think the crunch point for me yesterday was when it seemed like a totally acceptable idea to have a shot of vodka as a celebration for my flatmate's last exam...at 11am...having not eating yet due to being in a state of hibernation since I'd finished all essays a week ago.  Yes, I had turned into that kind of person.  Yikes!

So, I threw myself in the deep end as it were...quite literally actually by heading for a swim at my local leisure centre, followed by a session at the fitness room.  My first scary encounter was seeing myself in a bikini in the changing room mirrors.  Have I really let my ass get so big it just about qualifies for its own solar system?!  Yes.  It appears I have.  Sodding chocolate yule logs and pigs in blankets by the bucket load have really taken their toll...unsurprising when combined with being stuck inside writing essays and home cooking.  

Well something's got to give and I am hoping it won't be the buttons on my jeans...which by the way, I had to physically do lunges in just to make them fit by stretching them out.  

'They must have shrunk in the wash?!' I declare as my housemates look at me and roll their eyes and give a shrug sympathetically.     

So there I was pounding away on the treadmill for about 10 minutes whilst being able to feel a definite jiggle in my behind...mirrors around the gym confirmed this...a definite large jiggle had occurred.  And I start to feel sick to my stomach, perhaps it was the shot for brekkie, or perhaps it was the fact that upon measuring my heart rate it was sky-rocketing like never before.  And it dawned on me...I might actually have a heart attack on this thing!!  Better get off just for health reasons you understand.  So I opted for the bikes instead...BIG MISTAKE.  Someone had lowered and tilted the chair to such an angle that it was impossible to sit on it without just about having an internal examination!!!  So there I was trying to re-adjust said instrument of torture when one of those big armed 'professionals' came over and offered assistance... 'No no,' I shook him off 'I have done this before, I am used to the machinery in gyms'.  By this point I really am looking a sight, possible pulsing vein protruding from forehead and hair plastered to my face in a sweaty mess.  Not my best look.  So he just held in a smile and sauntered off to help another poor soul in distress with good intentions for the new year.  Bastard.

After my stressful experience I decided I would benefit from the steam room and jacuzzi the leisure centre had to offer...every cloud eh?!  Well it's true about steam rooms, you can not see a fricking thing in there and I just about sat on an Iranian man's knee...I didn't,  but it was close enough that I could feel the hairs on his inner things brushing across my skin.  GROSS!!  Safe to say I left that room immediately...relaxing?! Hell no.  

Next year, I'm picking an easier resolution!  Upon asking a very close friend what her resolution was, she said it was to make someone smile everyday for the year...well I hope I've made you smile today at reading this.  Go on brave people and nail those resolutions...and if you don't quite manage them all of the time, just remember you could be me wandering around the gym corridors in a bikini and trainers combo, towel clutched to my chest looking hopelessly for the changing rooms and the exit!!       

Hopefully I'll be feeling like this by 2014.

  

Film Review: Les Misérables

As predicted, the opening night of the eagerly anticipated Les Mis was absolutely packed to the rafters in my local cinema.

People were just about hurdling over one another to queue for last minute popcorn and refreshments before what was promised as a fairly lengthy film ahead.  2hours and 32 minutes without credits...hey at least it's no Lord of the Rings!

The movie is made up of 50 songs, this is including one that was created especially for Hugh Jackman upon his first meeting with the young Cosette, played by the oh so talented Isabelle Allen.  This may sound like a lot, but they all seem to link seamlessly into one another and help with the tempo of the movie.  I did overhear one person upon leaving the screen saying 'God! I didn't realise it was ALL going to be singing?!' followed by a smart comment from his wife, 'Well, it is a musical darling!'  So before you go lads, beware...yes, it is ALL singing, BUT there are a fair few explosions and gore(!)  Now we start to get a picture as to why it needs to be as lengthy as it is, we've got to keep the hardcore musical fans happy now don't we?!

Another reason that they should be happy is the fact that all of the music was performed totally live, what a feat!  So no need for any dodgy lip syncing and I think that most of the actors would agree it is much easier to sing with the raw emotion that is required when you are in character on set and not in a recording studio hooked up to countless cables.  This attribute of raw emotion really shines through and in my opinion gives it the goosebumps factor.  This feature can not be thought of without conjuring up the image of Anne Hathaway's scene when she has encountered her first experience as a prostitute.  'I dreamed a dream' holds so much sorrow due to the very true and believable performance that Anne brings to the film.

I did experience a minor disappointment however in viewing Anne Hathaway's section, but it had nothing to do with her ability as a performer.  A rumour was started that she would be having her hair cut off in complete silence for the movie to give dramatic emphasis.  In an interview Anne states that:

'What you see on screen was a little bit of a mixture of my real emotion and acting. We were wearing earpieces, so the song ends and I was going to have my hair cut in total silence, which was unbearble.'

I wanted this silence but it wasn't there!!  There was still music filtering through in the background.

Despite this teeny disappointment, I found I was absolutely emotionally engrossed with all of the characters, and even shed a tear or a few right there publicly in the cinema...which if you know me, is not easily done!  Having doing all of the songs in my singing lessons at school and university, I found myself mouthing along to all of the words.

My favourite performance of the whole film was actually Eddie Redmayne's take on 'Empty Chairs..', simply mesmerising, he believes every word he is saying.   

I absolutely loved it and would see it over and over again.  I highly recommend you see this, you will not regret it.  I'm giving it 5 stars!