Dear Graduates,

First of all, I want to say congratulations and welcome to the dance world! I know it’s a bizarre and uncertain time right now, but I hope you are still able to feel some excitement for what the future holds for you.

I should introduce myself – I’m Kimberley Harvey and I am a dance artist. In my case, this means that I am a performer, choreographer and facilitator. Very recently I became the Director of the Youth Dance Programme for Candoco Dance Company as well. I mention this new job for a couple of reasons – firstly, I never imagined that I would hold a director role! Being a ‘practising artist’ is such a crucial part of who I am and I didn’t imagine that holding a ‘director’ position would allow for this, but that is where the role with Candoco was different. They were specifically looking for a dance artist to take on this role on a part-time basis. The second reason to mention this is because when I look at my pathway into dance, Candoco Dance Company plays a huge part in how I have got to where I am; and being in their youth company was where it all started for me twenty years ago! It was not only my first experience of contemporary dance, but also, as a disabled young person, it was the first time I had participated in a dance class full-stop! I feel very fortunate that my introduction to contemporary dance was in such a supportive and inclusive setting.

You have achieved something that I haven’t. I didn’t go down the formal dance training route. I was up for giving it a try and after a year of full-time training with Candoco, on their Foundation Course for Disabled Dancers, I attempted to go onto university and study dance…

There were several reasons why I chose to leave the BA Dance programme in the end. Although it was an issue, accessibility wasn’t the primary reason for my leaving. I left because I realised that learning in this way was not right for me anymore – it made me feel inadequate; I was in a constant state of worry and I was deeply unhappy. Initially, I thought that that was it for me and dance, but friendly faces and voices at Candoco assured me this didn’t have to be the case.

So, from that point on I started to develop a portfolio of experiences as a way of devising an approach to training, both through Candoco’s learning programmes (at the time) and by seeking out classes, workshops and projects independently. Unbeknown to me back then, this was a great initiation into navigating freelancer life. I learnt ‘on the job’ and it suited me well. It can be a steep learning curve at times, but it enabled me to continue to build skills and experience as a dancer and then, as a teacher too; and all of this was shaped by the kind of artist I wanted and hoped to become.

The way our industry works means it's very easy to keep pushing yourself; believing there is always more you could be doing, more classes you could be going to, finding new ways to keep being creative...but please remember that you are a human, not a dancing machine!

As someone who spent most of their early career feeling guilty for one thing or another, let me tell you that it just isn't worth it!

I'm assuming you chose this career because dance makes you happy in some way, so please PLEASE let yourself get some joy out of it! Sometimes that will be by doing the 'sensible' dance job option and at other times that will be a project that is poorly paid or takes up a lot of your time, but that makes your heart sing for some reason or another...
You have choices...and I hope that feels empowering and liberating.
(Just in case you need someone to say it: that choice includes the option to move away from dance if you want to.)

Are you aiming to work in a company or do you want to ‘go freelance’? 
I do a bit of both and that has included co-creating an inclusive dance company (Subtle Kraft Co), which so far has meant I initiate projects, create collaborations, choreograph and perform . . .

I enjoy the control I have over my own schedule as a freelance dance artist, however there is no denying that it can be unreliable and a bit hair-raising at times! You can be fully immersed in a delicious creative process one week and then sitting alone surrounded by admin and on the job-hunt the week after. It's not about one of these being good and the other, bad – both need to and will exist – but I try to see it as a constant process of adaptation. I'm still trying to figure it out too, especially when meaningful connections are made during a project and then it all finishes and the people are no longer part of your life (or at least not in the same way). The change may be inevitable, but it doesn't necessarily make it easier. As a result, I am learning more about what is important and enriching to me, both personally and professionally and how I can stay true to that. The personal and the professional aren’t always easy to separate in what we do…My advice would be to remember to listen to all the different parts of yourself.

I hope that in 2020 the dance sector seizes the opportunity to metamorphosis, dismantle and restructure in order to create more openings and possibilities in all manner of directions.

And I hope that what lies ahead for you is a journey of discover (in dance or whatever other path you choose to follow).

Stay curious and enjoy the ride!

Kimberley