Updated Rationale for Award Title!

BA Hons in Professional Practice (Performing Arts)

At the age of eighteen, I was awarded a full scholarship to attend Cambridge Performing Arts College. After studying there for three years, I achieved a Professional National Diploma in Musical Theatre (NVQ Level 6.)

Before attending CPA, I always intended to pursue a career solely in dance, although the intensive training I received at college, in all three disciplines of dance, singing and acting, helped me to realise my potential as a triple-threat performer and the advantages this can bring in the workplace. I recognised that to become highly skilled in all three disciplines opened up many new doors to me in terms of professional work available, and the career I intended to pursue.

Since 2009, I have been working as a self-employed performer and have worked extensively within the performance industry, in varying roles, spanning genres such as commercials, film, television, theatre, stage and tour. I have had the opportunity to experience working practically in all three performance disciplines within a professional company, and also on individual contracts, which is something I always aspired to achieve.

I have chosen my professional practice title to be ‘performing arts’, because this is a field of practice I have always been immensely passionate about. My horizons are often broadened with the scope of work available for trained performers that are able to offer more than one area of high level expertise. The performing arts can be applied to so many aspects of the industry, I appreciate the fact that my skills are transferable and have always used this to my advantage during castings, auditions and at work.  

I hope that this title will demonstrate to future employers that I am a determined individual with a vast amount of vocational expertise and academic knowledge in this field, together with having gained a higher level of cognitive skills during the course. My professional inquiry will focus on professional dancers in the UK working for low to no pay; the effects this is having and how we, as a collective, can try to improve the situation. I hope that by completing my research, I will gain a deeper insight into the reasons many dancers are earning below minimum wage and how I, alongside recent campaigning, can inform others of their rights and educate college graduates of what to expect when entering the professional workplace. At present, my own aspiration is to continue to establish and further my career as a self- employed performer, using the knowledge and enthusiasm that I hope to gain from carrying out my professional inquiry.

My past experiences in education have all included the ‘performance arts’, so it is essential in my mind that my award title and inquiry correspond with this. I have been on such a journey to reach this point in my studies, I know that on completion of this course, the award title BA Honours in Professional Practice (Performing Arts) is very much appropriate with regards to my previous training, my present circumstance and most importantly my future progression.