How to make a living in dance and how to have a long career

The professional development and networking and information day for dance students and recent graduates who want to get ahead in their careers

Friday 9 November, 9.30am-6pm at Yorkshire Dance and Northern Ballet, Leeds

£25 Dance UK student member or £30 non-member (including refreshments, lunch and networking drinks at the end of the day)

Book your place at www.danceuk.org/shop/events or email info@danceuk.org or call us on 0207 713 0730

If you are a dance student or recent graduate in the last two years and are at the beginning of your career in dance Launch is the networking and professional development day for you to make new contacts and collect information about how to get a job in dance. This day is set to inspire and empower a new generation of dancers and practitioners to better understand the nature of the dance sector in the UK.

The day is designed to help you chose and pursue specific roles in the sector, including practitioner, teacher, manager, company dancer, independent choreographer and everything in between.

This year, Dance UK is organising the event in partnership with our members Yorkshire Dance, Northern Ballet, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Leeds Metropolitan University’s Dance Department.

The packed day will provide seminars plus hands-on practical advice from leading dance professionals, networking opportunities, and a chat show style discussion session. The portfolio career is the reality for most dance artists and Launch will give an overview of the paths open to young dance professionals and how to access the variety of jobs on offer.

The day is co-chaired by Rachel Krische, independent dancer and Head of Dance, Leeds Metropolitan University and Beth Cassani, independent choreographer, teacher and senior lecturer in dance at Leeds Metropolitan University.

The day starts with an inspirational chat show with top dance professionals, many of whom are former dancers and have achieved long and successful careers including:

- Simon Harper, Media and PR Manager for Birmingham Royal Ballet and former West End dancer

- Darren Pritchard, dancer, choreographer, teacher and Artistic Director of Company Fierce Academy

- Emma Gladstone, former dancer, co-founder of New Adventures, Artistic Programmer and Producer, Sadler’s Wells

- Tom Roden, co-director of New Art Club

Other sessions include:

- "Working as a Choreographer” with Aletta Collins and Tom Roden

"Working as a producer" with Dave Edmunds

- "Everything you need to know about working in education" with Karen Knox and Dawn Holgate

- "Resources available to keep dancers healthy (inc NIDMS) and working in health, wellbeing and dance medicine and science" with Niamh Morrin, Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Programme manager & Trinity Laban Dance Science specialist and Tracy Witney, Head of Education and Community Programmes, NSCD.

- “How to handle auditions” led by Sharon Watson, Artistic Director Phoenix Dance Theatre and Janet Smith, Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance and former Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre

- "Getting started in your career" with Dwayne Simms and Hannah Buckley,independent dancers and Julius Ebreo, dancer, teacher and choreographer

All that plus a free information sheet about 'money matters', how to manage your finances.

Why should you go? Here's what past attendees have said about Launch:

‘It helped me decide what to do and how to get there'

‘Very useful information, practical and realistic advice'

‘It was great to meet other students in my position and to learn about possible career avenues to take'

‘A great opportunity to pick up essential information and network with each other and established professionals’

For a complete schedule and timetable see http://www.danceuk.org/events/event/9891/