My Work Experience Journey at The Place

My week’s work experience at the place has taught me a lot about myself, the dance industry and its community. As someone who would like to pursue dance in the future, it helped to open my mind to all types of career paths there are to do with dance, on and off the stage, including producing, costuming, finance, research, and many more. Throughout the week, I visited many departments, to see how they operate and how they contribute to The Place, making it one of the top places to study, watch performances and take classes.

As a dancer of 14 years myself, being able to sit in and watch multiple LCDS classes and sharing's was extremely beneficial in getting an inside look into what it would be like to study here, all the dancers were so focused and committed which was very inspiring and motivating as I can potentially see myself coming to their university here. The contact improvisation class was especially interesting to observe, as it showed the dancers' creativity as well as the trust and bond they had with each other, showing the tight-knit and healthy community that The Place holds.

Later on in the week, I was able to help out in the costume department, this was captivating for me as I have always shown an interest in fashion and the textiles department, so getting to see how costumes are put together, organised and sorted was exciting to say the least. The costume department was an extremely hectic, busy environment, so I found that seeing the complicated system of it was all quite engrossing and engaging.

My work experience at the place also taught me a lot in preparation for my final year of college. In the school office, I was given many tips on how to create a compelling application and how to be seen as the ideal candidate for a conservatoire like LCDS. In HR, with Zahra, we spent time looking at job applications and interviews, which I found to be more helpful outside of dance, like when I'll be in search of a part-time job in the next few months. We did some research on how to be well prepared for an interview, and we also did some mock interviews.

I was able to participate in a contemporary class for adults over 60, as part of the Classes & Courses strand at The Place. It was so heartwarming to see so many people still fuelling their passions, and all thanks to the place for creating such a welcoming environment and giving people of all ages and abilities opportunities like this. As well as this, we also were allowed to watch the dress rehearsal and help backstage at the Camden Schools Festival. I saw it as very uplifting being able to see so many children being given the opportunity to dance and perform for so many people, including the Mayor of Camden.

My week’s placement at The Place has been so many things; it has been educational, insightful, and rewarding. All the staff and students were so welcoming and thoughtful. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I was given.

By Sophie Fleming