Aaron Chaplin
Heyya,
My name is Aaron Chaplin and I’m a UK based dance artist currently working for Phoenix Dance Theatre. Born and raised in London, Dance was always something that I loved and enjoyed but something that I never saw myself doing professionally. To be honest with you, it wasn’t something that I saw myself doing past the age of 15. In my mind, my early years of mid-week and Saturday dance classes were great anecdotal material for fancy city slicker work dinners, in-between discussions of office politics and the FTSE 100. It was a pastime. A hobby at best. An extra curricular activity that would look great on any University applications alongside A-Levels in English Literature and Philosophy. But 18 years after my Mum put me into Tap dance classes at my local community theatre aged 6, I sit here before you as a professional dancer. Funny how things work out.
My pathway into dance is one of hard work and a desire for change. Attending an all boys secondary school in inner city London, I soon realised that this was not an environment conducive or encouraging of creative growth. I had spent so long in schooling environments that hadn’t been designed to raise up those who sought to flourish creatively, that I hadn’t realised that I had been modelling my desires and goals off of those around me, losing myself in the process. I needed a change in order to be the best version of myself and this desire for a change of scenery and pace was the impetus for my application to attend The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. This institution offered me the the opportunity to discover who I was and gave me the space to make mistakes without fear of ridicule. Something that I felt I was never afforded in traditional academic settings.
I didn’t realise being a professional dancer was something that you could do until I was 17 and in my second year at BRIT. My realisation came after ample “what next” conversations that saw reps from universities, conservatoires and vocational colleges coming in to talk to us about the future. They spoke of their success stories and notable alumni and I wanted in. I looked around and I saw the same desire in the eyes of my peers and I knew that these were the people who I wanted to succeed with. We had the hunger and the drive and from that moment on we pushed each other. It was a competitive environment yes, but it kept me on my toes. On my down days it nurtured me and on my best days it stoked the flames that pushed me towards my targets. There was no malice as we were pushed to be the best versions of ourselves that we could be. It was this support system - comprised of family and friends that aided me in getting to where I am today and it is the knowledge of the existence of spaces free from harmful ridicule that I have sought and found in all of the environments that I have since been placed; be that Trinity Laban (BA), The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (MA) or Phoenix Dance Theatre where I currently work.
We’re living in a time where we plaster our forever updating highlight reels on the internet for the world to see. These reels depict us winning at every turn as we gleam in pictures and wait for the likes to roll in, and while there’s nothing wrong with doing that, I believe it is a false portrayal of oneself which has detrimental effects on those who look to us for support as well as for those coming up behind us. I think its incredibly important to speak of your downs as well as your ups in order to show those who seek to follow in our footsteps what the road to “success” looks like. In talking about these feelings and experiences we lay down an understanding that not everything on the aforementioned road is peachy and golden. I myself have had days where I’ve thought about giving up. I’ve been insecure and unsure on what to do next in my personal and professional life. There’ve been days where the prospect of doing a certain work has dwelled on my mind so much so that I’ve contemplated calling in sick (I didn’t in the end but you get the gist). But in these moments I looked to those who I knew had had similar experiences and asked for help and I hope that in this admission of my own struggles that I too can offer a helping hand to those who need it.
To my graduating self I implore you to remember that “comparison is a form of violence”. It’s very easy to compare yourself to bodies on the internet that seemingly fit all of your ideals and against people who have achieved great feats in your field of work, but remember that you too can and will do great things. Success and change isn’t always immediate and for the most part it requires hard work and perseverance. You have so much to offer the world being the best version of you that you can muster on any given day so embrace that and refrain from trying to squish yourself into someone else’s imprint or bending yourself to other peoples ideas of what you should be.
To new graduates I offer the same advice as well as calling for you not to be dismayed by the landscape that faces us all. The dance industry is forever in flux so use this to your advantage. Success does not begin and end with employment in dance companies. There are many routes that can be taken and none of them should be off limits for you. Everything is allowed and you should know that. There is so much that can be done with talent, a camera and the internet and you should use those things to empower yourself to create something new, something that is unique to you and something that you believe in. We all have an audience at our fingertips and you should use that to your advantage. Use what you have to draw more people to your brand so that they can see you in your truest form, under your own banner, doing what you love. Will it always be easy? Probably not, but what is?
I’m not entirely sure what the universe has in store for those of us working in the industry currently or for those of you who have recently graduated, but I do know that there is beauty in art and strength in numbers and regardless of good or bad art will prevail!
Aaron x