"When I was young I always dreamt of being Margot Fonteyn"
Interview by Henry Gomez
Q1. What inspired your
passion for performance art and who has been supporting you from the beginning?
I have always had a
passion for performing. I started taking ballet lessons when I was 3 and by the
age of 5 I was performing on professional stage. I crossed over from my
commercial dance career into the Burlesque world 2 years ago, following a
life-time fascination with the bygone era. I have watched countless old black
and white movies starting from when I was very young. Having such a supportive
family has made performing for me such an easy choice. I was lucky enough to
have parents able to send me to all the dance classes I wished to attend as a
child and always encouraging me to follow my dreams.
Q2. Have you always
aspired to be artist, or did you ever dream of following a different path?
I always knew I would take
a creative path of some sort. Although all I can ever remember wanting to
do was perform, I also have passion for art. I love to
paint and I have a huge passion for vintage fashion.
Q3. How do you feel about the your industry today?
I feel I am at a very
exciting time in my industry today. Burlesque has certainly "boomed"
again since its revival in the late nineties. It is certainly on trend so to
speak, but it is amazing how mainstream it has become in recent years and how
it is becoming slightly more socially acceptable now. There are constantly more
and more new performers evolving and more and more new nights starting out. In
London especially, any night of the week you are spoilt for choice if you want
to watch Burlesque or Cabaret...compared to just 5 years ago which was not the
case at all.
Q4. Where do you see
yourself five years from now??
I'm not entirely sure. I
don't like to close any doors, but I will certainly still be performing...who
knows what tomorrow will be? I would like to break into the acting world one
day so we shall see...
Q5. Is there anything you
are currently working on that you would like to tell us about?
I have a few exciting
projects that I am currently working on. I have become the newest member of
"The Girly Show" as "Pin up Girly". A new lounge is opening
up very soon in London which we will star in as "The girlies" so we
are currently rehearsing for the up and coming shows. I am working a lot in
Europe at the moment also with my Agency Voodoo De Luxe who are based in Milan.
Q6. Who have you always
dreamt of working with/for and why? How would you go about accomplishing this?
When I was young I always
dreamt of being Margot Fonteyn and dancing with her Partner Rudolf
Nureyev...they had the most romantic, elegant and intense dance partnership. I
would watch videos of them and I would dream of one day bing adored by the
crowd the way Fonteyn was.
Q7. As you are starting
out in your career, what steps do you plan on taking to reach your goal?
I always strive to be as
professional as possible, to be the best I can be in my profession and to be
pleasant to work with...I hope that as long as I continue to work this way I
will continue to have a successful career.
Q8. What is the greatest
thing about working in the your industry? And what would you change if you
had the opportunity?
I get paid to do what I
love in life. I meet amazing people and see parts of the world I may not have
ever seen.
Q9. If you could have
asked anyone for advice. Who would you have liked to ask??
I would have loved to
ask one of the original stars of Burlesque some of their little trade
secrets. I once read in a book about a lady in the circus who was an
animal trainer...she wondered into the ring draped in the most beautiful and
elaborate mink coat on her whilste thousands of mink ran off her to reveal her
naked self underneath! Not so much advise, but wow would I have loved to speak
with that woman!
Q10. From your experience
in the arts, what advice could you offer people looking to get to where you are
today?
Be true to yourself, stay
an original and try not to copy or follow others. Networking is so important,
so get out there and meet with as many people as you can.
Q11. What courses/classes
would you recommend someone take if they want to be a professional in
the Performance Arts?
Do whatever you can...even
if you don’t have the money or opportunity to take class, read books on the
area of performance art you wish to pursue, research is always important. I was
lucky enough to be given a scholarship to train as a dancer so I have taken
many classes, but I have never taken a Burlesque lesson in my life. Burlesque
is an expression of you and there is not wrong or right way to do so. It is not
a genre of dance, like ballet or contemporary...it's more about confidence,
expressionism and grace.
Q12. How many years have
you been fighting to get to where you are today? And what has this time in your
life been like?
I have been dancing for 20
years and performing for 18 of those. There is always an element of struggle in
performing as you have to constantly fight for the next job and compete against
so many other people. Making sure you are always on top of your game and the
best you can be is so important. Having a bad show or an "off day"
can be crutial as there is always someone hot on your heels for your position.
Q13. From your experience
so far, what have you found to be most challenging? And how are you dealing
with it?
Leaning to be your own
boss I find is difficult as you have to find a balance of being strict enough
with yourself but also to give yourself a break from time to time. Performing
isn’t just my job but my life.
Q14. Share with us your
proudest moment in your career so far?
There have been so many,
though I do regard every job lucky as I am doing what I love. The first professional
job I landed when I graduated from dance college was a Head and Shoulders
advert campaigne which was such an important platform for me. Last year I took
part in the award winning show, Circus Burlesque at the Edinburgh Fringe
festival.
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