My name is Jaivant Patel and I am writing to you from my home in Wolverhampton. I am a dance artist/choreographer, cultural producer and Artistic Director of Jaivant Patel Dance; an award-winning arts organisation. My current artistic journey seeks to incorporate Kathak into my creative practice to compliment my contemporary dance background.

My pathway from study into the professional field of dance at the time was not a traditional one. Prior to my training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, at the age of 17 I had no formal grounding in dance technique, and I auditioned with nothing more than my passion for dance. Whilst I wasn’t successful getting through my preliminary degree audition, due to my potential I was instead invited to join the Foundation Dance course. After completing the Foundation Dance course, I again auditioned and gained a place on the degree course. 

Realising the complexities of my identity as a homosexual man coming from an Indian heritage with a British ‘wrapping’ and at the same time trying to embrace the world of dance; was extremely daunting and at the same time incredibly exhilarating. The things I witnessed on stage, embodied from the studio and personally learnt about my own identity and personality is something I wouldn’t change for the world. That is a journey and lesson that hasn’t stopped, and where I first learned not to take anything for granted from the very start. 

There were many things about the world of dance that I had to almost play ‘catch-up’ due to my late start i.e. technique compared to my more experienced peers. However, the hardest part was almost a pressure to prove why I deserved to be in the studio and the battling of unconscious biases and preconceptions from those who believed I wouldn’t ever ‘make it’ in the professional world of dance. A turning point came in my final year when I worked with choreographer Jeremy Nelson for the graduation piece entitled ‘To Trained Sequence’. Jeremy came in with a fresh outlook and due to his openness and inviting nature, I really connected with him in the studio. It was in this piece that I was given an opportunity to shine in many ways such as being included in a trio whose sequence was a repeating motif throughout the piece. I was selected to be perform this piece in the final graduation showcase evening at The Riley Theatre and was even mentioned in a dance review of the graduates as having ‘impressed throughout’.

 I didn’t go down the traditional path of being a dancer for a company and I have always enjoyed the freedom of remaining independent. Since then I haven’t looked back and through many ups/downs and a long break from working in the arts, I was drawn back to my first love of dance. I have enjoyed carving out my own career path through many self-initiated opportunities in a place called The Black Country where Wolverhampton sits. I have enjoyed creating professional touring work that amplifies the marginalised and often untold narratives of the South Asian LGBTQ+ community. I also feel incredibly proud of having the opportunity to support other artists nationally by inviting them to perform on platforms I have curated; and the also at same seeing the joy of audiences and participants that have experienced the power of dance for the first time.

My advice to my gradating self would probably be something along the lines of acknowledging the battle of perception and unconscious bias as an artist of a diverse background doesn’t get any easier, in a world where unfortunately systemic prejudices still exist; you just learn to tackle it in different ways and the need for validation becomes less so when you learn accept the value of your own self-worth as artist.

My advice to a graduate now would encourage them to have courage in their convictions and to follow their intuition. I would advise them not the run too fast and that it’s ok to walk at your own pace. Comparing yourself to others isn’t necessary and having the courage to project their own voices (especially those that are marginalised) is incredibly important; as is too surround yourself with positive energies. Finally, I would advise to always look at an situation from the outside in to inform direction and most importantly never see permission to enter any creative and/or artistic space or sphere.

My one hope for the future of dance that could come out of 2020 is that we act on all positive reflections we have journeyed through towards creating a stronger, more resilient and sustainable dance sector.