June 28, 2019

My name is Nina and I am in year 11 at King Edward VI Handsworth and I am currently on the CAT programme at DanceXchange. I spent this week doing work experience at DanceXchange. Here’s what I did:

Monday: I started the day with a great tour of the building with Company Administrator: Simeon. After that I met Zara the Marketing Officer and with her help, I created a Facebook and Instagram post promoting the DX summer school (which any young dancers should definitely check out). After lunch I went to the costume cupboard in search of costumes for the Yuva Gati summer showcase which took a while as there’s so much in there. I then completed a quiz about DanceXchange which was fascinating as I found out about many things, like the many programmes DanceXchange runs.

Tuesday: I attended Birmingham professional class in the morning lead by Polly Hudson in one of the royal ballet studios which I found very relaxing as there was a lot of calming music, and it was really exciting to see how higher-level dancers work. I then posted the Instagram post I had prepared on Monday and replied to some questions about classes on social media. After lunch I attended a staff meeting which was very insightful as I got to hear about all the projects DanceXchange is working on. I ended the day by talking to the finance team and found out more about their jobs and what a crucial part they play in the organisation.

Wednesday: I started by doing some logistics for the CAT summer showcase which I found interesting as I’m part of the CAT programme, so I thought it was cool to see how it is all put together. In the afternoon I went to Blakesley Hall primary school with Sara, a Creative Learning Practitioner, and I helped with the classes she runs with the year sixes, which were very lively, and I had a great time dancing with them as they were so excited and full of energy. I thought this was a great opportunity for them as they all seemed to have lots of fun and it helped them to use up some of their energy.

Thursday: I watched pro-class in the morning which was very cool as the participants were all such talented dancers and it was amazing to be able to watch them. They definitely inspired me to try to work to improve my own dancing. After lunch I went to the Midlands Art Centre with Sara to an event where we talked to teachers about the schools programme DanceXchange runs, which I found quite scary at first as there was so much information to tell them, but after talking to a couple of people I became more confident and had a really great time.

Friday: I helped Sue the Head of Finance with taking payments for classes in the morning and I learnt how to use software to record who had attended the classes. I then edited and printed some forms for the CAT summer showcase and put them in envelopes ready to be sent off. This made me appreciate just how much work goes in to organising events like this, and I’m grateful that my only thing I have to do is perform in the showcase. I also helped to tidy the print cupboard which was full of leaflets and posters for many of the events put on by DanceXchange.

I’ve had a wonderful week here at DanceXchange as everyone has been so helpful and friendly.  I have been given so many memorable experiences and had a lot of fun and I’m so grateful for this experience.