Case studies: Dancer: Lucy Teed

After a dance degree at the University of Surrey, Lucy combined further study with performance in Chichester University’s Mapdance Company.

I’ve been dancing since I was small: ballet, modern and jazz. During my A-level studies I was introduced to contemporary dance and began to understand more about the theory involved, so it seemed natural to continue on to university. My undergraduate course was academic, offering a diverse range of both practical and theoretical modules. I loved my time there, but always had the desire for more physically intensive training.

Mapdance is one of only four similar companies in the country, training students from a range of undergraduate dance courses. The first four months involved an intensive period of creating and rehearsal, spending approximately three weeks with each of the five choreographers. We then toured these five works between February and June in the UK and Denmark. I’d studied some of the choreographers during my degree and knew their styles, so it was interesting to develop my knowledge and understanding of their work through firsthand experience. They all had very different ways of working with us, giving us the opportunity to apply our own knowledge and skills in accordance with their artistic intentions. We were often required to create material from given tasks, either in groups, pairs or individually. One choreographer wanted more verbal input, encouraging us to think and question what the piece was communicating. I particularly enjoyed this way of working as it felt more collaborative and exploratory, rather than just executing given movements from a set stimulus.

It was very informative and enjoyable to experience various aspects to the dancer’s role. Being an integral part of a shared creative experience is one of the highlights of being a dancer.

As well as performing we taught while on tour, which is common in dance companies. Some of us chose pedagogical approaches as an option and learned about aspects of delivery and lesson planning, which we then put into practice at each of the tour venues, taking turns leading, co-leading and assisting on a total of about 25 repertory workshops. It was a tiring schedule, but also extremely enriching to share and facilitate new experiences to a large variety of people.

I’ve decided to upgrade my diploma to an MA, writing up my dissertation part-time. As well as being able to focus more on my area of study; this qualification will also benefit me in the long run by giving me the option to teach within higher education. My studies so far have taught me about the relationship between theory and practice, professionalism, adaptability and working with others. Looking ahead, valuable career advice I recently received is don’t expect to go up the ladder of success smoothly; be prepared to go up and down or even sideways. Also to embrace the excitement of never knowing what’s round the corner.