Author: Harry Marlow

Congratulations on becoming the RAD’s new Chief Executive!

Thank you – I’m still pinching myself!

Why did the role of CEO appeal to you?

First of all is my love of dance. I have a bit of heritage here – a relative, Mary Honer, was a leading dancer with the Vic-Wells Ballet in the 1930s before going into musical theatre. I used to pore over pictures of her. I then did ballet and my RAD exams as a child, and have continued to dance throughout my life. I was never going to be a professional dancer or teacher, but it’s been very important to me. Now I take classes at the RAD: adult ballet and Silver Swans. And I’m an RAD member!

Because of that love of dance, I did a cold pitch to the RAD, asking: can I be of use? For the last year, I’ve been on the Finance and Risk Committee. When, to everyone’s surprise, Tim Arthur [the previous CEO] left, I thought: Now is my time.

And how does your work background fit the RAD?

I started my career in the arts – at Sadler’s Wells, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and an artists’ agency. I then trained as a teacher, but although I enjoyed it, it wasn’t quite my thing. Then I went into the civil service: most recently, I was chief executive of an agency of the Treasury and then a non-executive director of a professional membership body. So the RAD role is an amazing blend of everything I’ve done.

It is a very varied career – is there a connecting thread through it?

I’m not someone who had a life plan. I have always loved the arts, and have learned that it’s important that one’s personal values and the values of your work are very aligned. For me, public service spoke to my personal values. The RAD is also about what is good for individuals and society. So I can see that thread running through my career. In the end, it’s about taking opportunities when they come your way. 

Many of your leadership roles have involved ensuring value for money and achieving financial targets. Are you comfortable with those fierce conversations?

Yes, I’ve had quite a few difficult conversations. I ran an efficiency programme at the House of Commons, and in my most recent role reviewed how effective government organisations were. But my belief is that everybody, in the end, is trying to do a good job. I find people fascinating, so it’s about trying to understand their perspective, so that you can have a meeting of minds. For the RAD, I feel that if we do right by our members and do right artistically, then the money will follow.

Are you still enjoying dance classes?

I have just loved my three classes a week, and hope I can continue them. I had a double hip replacement three years ago, and dance has been an amazing part of my rehabilitation. I’ve also made a wonderful social network through it. It’s fabulous. 

Is it important to you that you’re the first female Chief Executive of the RAD?

Some people have commented that it’s great to have a female CEO. I’m really glad that that is important to members, but I want to be a good CEO first and foremost. I’m very happy to talk to members about my experiences. It’s not always been plain sailing, so I’m always keen if there’s anything I can do to support other women. If it inspires other people, that’s great, but it’s not what I’m going to be leading on. 

The RAD has been through several years of change – is there more to come?

We have only just got an exciting new strategy, but there are still priorities to be decided within that. I want to take time to engage with the directors, the board and our members, so that we get those priorities right. Come back to me in a year’s time, and we can have another conversation!

The RAD is such a varied organisation – where do you begin?

The RAD is a whole multitude of things – a lot of people only see a segment of it. I’m interested in understanding how we can do well by our members, and create a sense of community. The challenge for any organisation with a history as long as ours is: how do you esteem the history and traditions, while also changing for the future? We have our exams, which always need to keep refreshed. We educate teachers – what does that look like for the future? And I’m also interested in the Benesh Institute, and the application of modern technologies to choreography and notation. There’s so much to explore – I’ll be like a child in a sweet shop!

What are you most looking forward to about the role? 

I’m really looking forward to getting out and listening. That is my job in the first few months. Listen, listen, listen. The RAD is a global organisation with a global membership – I want to understand all the different perspectives. So I’ll be listening hard.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

‘What does the RAD actually do?’ is a question I was often asked when it was announced that I had accepted the role of Artistic Director. After encountering this perspective several times, it led me to wonder what I had gotten myself into… does anyone know what this 105-year-old organisation does?!

In truth, everyone who asked me that question knew of the Academy and its purpose; perhaps they had taken examinations as part of their training or knew of people competing in The Geneé or The Fonteyn (as it is now known). But the question persisted… what does the RAD actually do?

When I started in April last year, I was fairly confident that I knew the breadth of what the RAD does; that confidence was somewhat misplaced. The RAD does an enormous amount of work, and I am willing to bet that no single member will have accessed or experienced every single area that the RAD provides for. The scale of output and reach that the RAD has developed is simply staggering.

‘I was advised: try to be a little bit better than the day before and aim to leave a place in a better state than when you found it’

It is an astonishing story of success; a story of enthusiasm for an art form apparently on the verge of decline for a large part of its existence; of the global language that the RAD speaks; and most of all it is a story about teachers. Teachers who have spread the love of dance around the world, who have inspired generations of participants to love dance in their own way and, often, to become teachers themselves.

I have had the enormous privilege to have been part of important and historic organisations throughout my career. The Royal Ballet School, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet provided my training and performing career. Early in my career with Birmingham Royal Ballet, a former dancer advised me to focus on trying to be a little bit better than I was the day before and to always aim to leave a place in a better state than when you found it: ‘that’s the responsibility we should bear.’ It remained a guiding principle for the remainder of my performing career, it shaped my thinking and determined how I behaved, and it will absolutely be the driving force for my time here at the Academy. I aim to respect it, to take responsibility for it and to leave it in a better state than when it welcomed me.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

What is it like to live in Mumbai/Bombay?

It’s 10:30pm at the moment, and Bombay is still vibrant. It is full of energy and full of life and as chaotic as ever. They say Bombay is the city of dreams in India, probably because everyone is always aspiring for and hustling towards something – we have this crazy energy that is relentless and almost exhausting. It is a place where you can decide to do something and achieve it. 

You discovered ballet through the movie of Billy Elliot – why did that capture your imagination?

I was only five years old, and mum claims that I would walk around the house on my toes all the time. She thought that ballet would be a good option for me, but I was against the idea. I was quite the tomboy. To convince me, she took me and my twin sister to watch Billy Elliot. I turned to my mum, and said, ‘this is what I want to do now.’ I connected with the story of a young boy who was fighting the odds. That was the key thing for me. At the time, there was only one ballet teacher in the country. My mum dragged us across town and we managed to get a spot in this very prestigious ballet school that you had to audition for, and our journey with ballet began.

Was teaching also part of your career plan?

That’s a big question. I started ballet thinking, from the get go, that I was going to be a professional ballerina. That was always the goal. When I told my teacher, Tushna Dallas, that I wanted to perform professionally, she said that she thought I had the talent but unfortunately, considering the situation in India, that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to pursue it full time and that I should consider teaching. She was very enthusiastic about encouraging me to assist her, even though I was quite young, because that would be the future if I decided to pursue dance long term. This was not what I wanted to hear at all. 

I’d like to think teaching came quite naturally to me – I credit Tushna for that. Even now I often find myself saying and doing things the way she did. I always tried to stay true to who I was, and discovered that I would want to gain the tools necessary to be an effective teacher through a formal, structured programme, which is how I found my way to the RAD. It was a life changing experience for me.

What do you hope to share with students at the Institute of Classical & Modern Dance?

There is no lack of talent or ability in India. It is just a lack of infrastructure and support for the arts. We’re trying to bridge that gap at ICMD by providing our students with the intensive training and mentorship they need to apply to conservatories or programmes internationally. There’s an understanding of what a professional career and dance looks like outside of India – and what it could look like in India as well, because the industry has changed so much. 

Soon after I opened ICMD, a young boy called Dipesh Verma came in. He grew up in a small village in West Bengal and watched videos of gymnasts and ballet dancers and decided that he wanted to learn ballet. He ran away from home, came to Mumbai and somehow found us. He had nowhere to live and almost no money – we took him in because he was unbelievably talented, but also so passionate. Within one year, he was accepted into a conservatory in Paris – and he’s now with Rambert in London. Quite a few young people from India have made a similar journey. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. 

Why does dance matter to you? 

Dance has always mattered to me. The moment I watched Billy Elliot, something inside me was ignited, and I have been obsessed with it ever since. Whilst I’ve tried to experiment and do other things, I’ve always found my way back to dance, and each time it has made me learn so much more about myself as a person. It pushes me, and I think that’s what I love most about it. Simply put, it has shaped my life, and now I get to be in a position where I can see it shaping so many lives around me.

Why Dance Matters

Why Dance Matters is the RAD’s podcast – a monthly series of conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Please do listen and subscribe.

LISTEN

Hear the full interview with Pia Sutaria

<

RESOURCES

Institute of Classical & Modern Dance

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025
Previous
 Advice Bureau

Jasmin Vardimon

Dance Gazette

Read more

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

The American-Israeli choreographer Barak Marshall is Artist in Residence at Gauthier Dance in Stuttgart. 

The best advice I ever received 

The best advice I ever received was from my mother, Margalit Oved, who was a famous dancer and choreographer. I began dancing and choreographing relatively late at the age of 27. Just a few years into my career, the dance world’s Darwinian/Hobbesian ‘publish or perish’ culture began to wear me down and I found it difficult to create. I asked her what I should do and she said, ‘the dance world is filled with ambitious and manipulative people who believe that the only way for them to succeed is for others to fail. You will only survive if you understand this: only create when you have something to say and never let their voices define you.’

Barak Marshall rehearsing Gauthier Dance Juniors. Photo: Jeanette Bak
Barak Marshall in rehearsal. Photo: Jeanette Bak
Barak Marshall with Gauthier Dance Juniors. Photo: Jeanette Bak

The advice I would pass on 

Don’t dance. I’m kidding (mostly). I mentor a lot of young dancers and choreographers and try to prepare them for the realities of the dance world by being as brutally honest as possible – even when it causes them to appear on the verge of nervous breakdown.

I tell them three things:

1 While there has been progress, remnants of dance’s authoritarian DNA survive and thrive. Ninety percent of the time young dancers and choreographers are told what they are doing wrong. And this takes a psychological toll and is the greatest prophylactic to happiness and creativity. I believe that dancers can only realise their full potential as artists when they are free. So – even when circumstances don’t allow for it – urge them to trust themselves, to recognise and politely navigate this cognitive dissonance, and to take everything with a truckload of salt.

2 The dance world is not a meritocracy it’s a chaos-tocracy. Everyone is fallible and just trying to survive. So don’t feed the beast of self-doubt by reading into everything or taking it personally. It’s not you, it’s almost always them.

3 Don’t commit seppuku on the altar of dance. I love dance but it is important to have a life outside of it filled with relationships, friends and family, and to take proactive steps to prepare yourself for the life you want after dance.

RESOURCES

Gauthier Dance Juniors perform Barak Marshall’s The Blue Brides in Dream Team from 12-19 March.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

RAD graduates, faculty and friends were thrilled to come together on 1 October last year for our 2024 graduation ceremony at Cadogan Hall, London.

Graduates assembled from around the world to receive their awards from Dame Darcey Bussell DBE, President of the RAD, and to hear from guest speaker Sir Wayne McGregor, the award-winning British choreographer and director.

At the RAD, we are incredibly proud of our students, and it was wonderful to be able to come together and watch as they prepare to move on to the next stage of their careers, joining the global network of RAD members and alumni.

Tim Arthur and Sir Wayne McGregor celebrate successful students. Photos: Tempest Photography

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

1 Piano concerto no 2 (first movement) by Sergei Rachmaninov

When I was about 10 years old I spent my birthday money on a Philips LP of favourite piano concertos: single movements from about six or seven famous concertos by Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. At that time I was not aware of any of Rachmaninov’s music and I will never forget the spine-tingling impact of hearing the crescendo of these opening chords leading into the huge sweep of the orchestra. I couldn’t believe that such music could exist, and still remember my amazement at that first moment every time I hear this work. The beginning of a life-long love of this composer’s work.

2 The Man That Got Away by Judy Garland

In the 1970s I designed several ballets for the great choreographer Jochen Ulrich who founded the company Tanzforum at Cologne Opera House. Finally I was doing what I had always wanted: design for dance. There was very little money and certainly no budget for travel from the UK. I built all the models in Jochen’s study: long days alone in a grand art nouveau flat in Cologne, with access to a huge collection of LPs. The big discovery was the double album of Judy Garland’s 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall. Apart from The Wizard of Oz, I didn’t know much about Judy and am sure that I almost ruined the discs by repeatedly playing them – even now I can’t imagine most of these songs sung by anyone else. This is my absolute favourite.

3 Journey through the snow from The Nutcracker by Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky

This four-minute piece links the end of the battle between the rats and soldiers to the snowflakes finale to act 1. The battle plays out in firelight under the branches of an oversized Christmas tree and as this music begins Clara and the prince are left alone. The setting for snowflakes slowly descends and cross flies with the tree: by the last arpeggio the stage has transformed from darkness to thousands of snow-covered branches. Without fail it always makes me cry.

I designed The Nutcracker for Sir Peter Wright and Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1990. An early work and a monumental project containing some of the most terrifying open set changes I have ever attempted. Perhaps it is the memory of the huge feeling of relief that we have nearly reached the interval without any major catastrophe – but in the end it is simply the most beautiful piece of music.

4 Storm from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten

The storm is the most memorable and spine tingling of the four Sea Interludes. In 1994 I designed Peter Grimes for La Monnaie in Brussels, directed by Willy Dekker and conducted by Antonio Pappano. It was a huge experience in every way and the set, though visually simple, was technically ridiculously complicated: lots of hydraulics, raked floors and moving walls. The four–minute storm interlude is also the biggest set change of the night. The front curtain is down, loud music drowning out backstage noise, and I remember being on tenterhooks, watching the red light on the conductor’s desk and waiting for it to turn green seconds before the last note and revealing the tavern scene.

5 The final duet from Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák

Rusalka has always been one of my favourite operas: it was wonderful to be offered the chance to design it for Lyric Opera Chicago. All the supernatural darkness of the forest with its water and wood nymphs, goblins and witches and then the terrible world of man as seen through Rusalka’s eyes. Rusalka is famous for the song to the moon but is packed with beautiful music, leading to the heart-rending and touching final moments. In Rusalka’s final duet with the prince, with her last kiss he dies in her arms and she walks into the night condemned to roam the earth as a phantom – a tiny white figure walking into the night sky.

Look

John Macfarlane’s ballet designs

RESOURCES

John Macfarlane: Theatre Design and Studio is published by Graffeg Books

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

The RAD has received British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s archive. MacMillan (1929–92) was the leading choreographer of his generation, creating world-renowned ballets including Romeo and Juliet, Gloria, Manon, Mayerling and Requiem. The archive comprises a diverse and rich range of material covering the personal, artistic and business archive of one of the most significant ballet figures of the 20th century.

The records span MacMillan’s life and career from his school days and early years as a dancer, through his career with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet/Royal Ballet as dancer, choreographer, Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer from 1977 until his death in 1992. He was also Director of Deutsche Oper Ballet Berlin (1966–69) and Artistic Associate of American Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet (1984–89).

Speaking of the news, Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the RAD said: ‘There is no doubt that Kenneth’s creative genius contributed to the evolution of the art form of classical ballet. He put British ballet on the international map, drawing stars from around the world to work with him and perform his works. The RAD could not be more grateful to have the honour of holding Kenneth’s archive. With our state-of-the-art facilities, I know the RAD will preserve the archive superbly and offer access in an inclusive way in the years to come.’

Look

Dame Monica Mason, Vice President of the RAD and répétiteur to MacMillan, reflected: ‘Sir Kenneth MacMillan was a visionary choreographer whose work had a profound impact on the evolution of ballet. This archive is a wonderful legacy for the RAD to receive and will not only shed light on Sir Kenneth’s creative process but enrich our understanding of his life and the cultural context in which he worked.’

The archive – which includes photographs, diaries, and letters – paints a rich picture of MacMillan’s life. Its early material covers his school years and includes his Grade 1 ballet exam certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1944. Personal material includes diaries and handwritten notes that are incomplete but revelatory. His interest in fantasy jewellery is also covered: the Jewels of Fantasy exhibition at the V&A included key items from his own collection.

There is correspondence from major figures in ballet, music and theatre, as well as from friends and members of the public. Blending business with personal matters, they include letters from Dame Ninette de Valois, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Lucia Chase, Alexander Grant, Nora Kaye, Jiří Kylián and more.

The archive has been gifted to the RAD by Deborah, Lady MacMillan and the RAD is extremely grateful for her generosity. The RAD is planning a cataloguing project for 2025 after which the collection will be made available to the public for educational research. Containing over 75,000 items spanning 100 years, the RAD Archive, based at RAD’s Wolfson Library at its headquarters in London, is an important record of the evolution of British ballet and dance in the 20th century. Last year, the RAD received the archive of Dancing Times, Britain’s oldest dance magazine.

RAD members can visit the library for free. For more information visit here.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 12 - Feb 2025

REST OF Issue 12 - Feb 2025

Scottish dancer Antonia Maria Cramb has won the Gold medal at The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2024, held at His Majesty’s Theatre in London on 8 September.

The Fonteyn is the pinnacle for young dancers trained in the RAD syllabus, and the final followed a week of coaching and semi-finals at the RAD’s headquarters. Over 60 dancers from 14 countries (including Bermuda, Venezuala, South Africa and Singapore) took part in this year’s competition. RAD Artistic Director Alexander Campbell congratulated all the candidates, saying, ‘it’s been a true pleasure watching you grow throughout the week, and we hope that you have made memories to be treasured forever.’

Gold medallist Antonia Maria Cramb, 18, is from Perthshire, Scotland. Trained by Kerry Livingstone and Faculty of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she trains at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She performed her Dancer’s Own solo Tambourin, co-choreographed with Kerry Livingstone, and the second odalisque variation from Le Corsaire.

The Silver medal was won by Lydia Hough aged 18 from North Lincolnshire, UK, trained by Beverley Spencer, Sebnem Önal and Viviana Durante, currently training at English National Ballet School. Lydia also received the Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award.

Bronze medals were won by Alfie-Lee Hall, 18 from Cheshire, UK (trained by Denise Whiteman and Elmhurst Ballet School Artistic Staff, currently training at Elmhurst Ballet School) and Ernesto Young, 17, from Australia (trained by Hilary Kaplan and Archibald McKenzie, currently training at Alegria Dance Studios).

Ernesto Young also won the Dancer’s Own Choreographic Award for his solo Whirlwind Grace (set to Lutowslawski), while the first winner of a new Musicality Award was Christie Anderson, 20. Taught by Angelique Harris, Sayward Ten Hove and Bethany Kingsley-Garner, she trains at Art of Motion International Dance Laboratory.

All the candidates took part in coaching sessions with Isabel McMeekan, Samira Saidi and Darren Parrish, and semi-finals judged by Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the RAD, Alessandra Ferri, Artistic Director Designate of the Wiener Staatsballett and José Alves, former Senior Artist at Ballet Black. Judging the final were Bussell, Ferri and Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet. The choreographic and musicality awards were judged by Dame Monica Mason and choreographer Ashley Page.

Look

Finalists also premiered new variations created by The Fonteyn 2024 commissioned choreographer, Andrew McNicol. There was also a guest performance of the balcony pas de deux from Romeo & Juliet by Northern Ballet dancers Harris Beattie and Saeka Shirai.

The Fonteyn was produced by Lynn Wallis. Mayumi Hotta was the Benesh choreologist, and pianists for the final were Rebecca Leshures and Richard Norris.

After being held in London for the past two years, in 2025 The Fonteyn will be held in São Paolo, Brazil.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 11 - Oct 2024

REST OF Issue 11 - Oct 2024

I am from Sudbury, Ontario and I love to dance! I had the honour of having Cynthia Fisher as my examiner for my Advanced 2 examination in 2022. I passed with a High Merit, which I am absolutely delighted with! I have been battling Lyme Disease for 11 years, and wanted to share my journey in the hope that it will inspire someone else to reach for their dreams in ballet.

I love dancing more than anything in this world. I think of ballet all day and go to bed dreaming of it at night. I cannot imagine a day without it. Ever since I was little, it has always been my greatest dream to achieve the Advanced 2 exam.

Eleven years ago I was training for the exam when I suddenly fell very ill. I had just finished university and was a dance teacher at my own studio as well as a school teacher. I loved my students dearly and spent my days doing what I loved. But my health became progressively worse, to the point that I had to teach from a chair or even lie down in the classroom. I was fevered, extremely weak, losing weight and experiencing constant pain. I eventually had to give up my studio, my beloved students and teaching along with my exam training at the age of 23. I was bedridden for two years, finally testing positive for Lyme Disease. This was just the start of a long battle which I am still fighting today.

The new syllabus came out shortly after I fell ill, and I was filled with excitement and determination to learn it, beginning on my own from my bed. It took seven years, because I could only read for a few minutes a day and couldn’t move very much. I practiced everything in my head! On the days that I just wanted to cry, I would put on my dance clothes and pointe shoes so that I could ‘feel like a ballerina.’ Three years into my journey, I met my husband, Steven, who has been an angel in my life. He believed in me and encouraged me to reach for my dreams. When we were dating, he took me to see The Nutcracker in Toronto and would whisper, ‘You are going to get your Advanced 2 one day.’ 

Paige with one of her RAD certificates
Paige with her husband, Steven

In 2018, my beloved father passed away. He was one of my biggest fans: everyone says that I got my deep passion for life from him. I knew that ballet was the one thing that would bring me joy through my grief. I called around to find an RAD teacher, and when I walked into my first class with Sarah Baker we both shed a tear as we shared our stories. Her sister sadly passed away from Lyme Disease. We truly understood each other, which has led to the most beautiful, lifelong friendship. 

She knew how to train me carefully and not to push too hard. We started with 20-minute classes, after which I would have to be in bed for a week recovering, as I was undergoing numerous treatments. We slowly added a few minutes to my class each week, and have now made it to two-hour classes! 

Training required a lot of support from my loved ones. My amazing mother drove me 90 minutes to class, making so many sacrifices with love: she has been my greatest support. My husband got a new job and we were able to move to the same city as my mom and the dance studio. 

The day of my exam was one I will never forget! My entire family, friends and doctors were cheering me on. I was very ill on the day of my exam, but was not going to let infections get in the way of my dream. Cynthia Fisher was such a warm-hearted and encouraging examiner and when we received my mark we were all ecstatic! It far surpassed my hopes and dreams. 

Sometimes life doesn’t always go as you had planned, but I am beyond thankful for the joy and perseverance that ballet has brought to my life. It gave me something to strive for during my toughest days, and it will continue to brighten every day in the years to come.

Recently I achieved a Distinction level for both Discovering Repertoire Level 4 as well as Advanced 2. I feel extremely blessed to dance in less pain than the previous years. Dance continues to bring me joy in the midst of my daily battle with this disease. What would we do without ballet?

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 11 - Oct 2024

REST OF Issue 11 - Oct 2024

Hannah, what does Pride mean to you?

To me, Pride is a celebration. A celebration of inclusion, identity and affirmation. Pride is about feeling part of a community and connection, but it is also a protest for equality and against discrimination. 

What was Pride 2024 like for you?

It was really special to take part in Pride in London this year – it was the RAD’s first time walking in the parade and it was really important to us to come together as a community to celebrate, represent and support LGBTQIA2S+ rights. I walked alongside colleagues as well as RAD students, members and our local community – and it was extra special as it was my first time walking too.

Photo: Keshia Dodd

Why was it important that the RAD walked in London Pride this year?

As the RAD’s LGBTQIA2S+ working group, we felt it was important to be part of the Pride in London parade to represent our diverse community of dancers and teachers and to be visible with our support of LGBTQIA2S+ rights. It’s important to us that colleagues, members, students and dancers see that the RAD is a space that welcomes all and that dance is for everybody. I would love to think it’s the start of the RAD community globally coming together to support Pride celebrations across the world!

More widely, how important is it for organisations to create inclusive workspaces? 

According to research, over a third of LGBTQIA2S+ people feel like they must hide at work. We’re at work for a huge part of our lives. Feeling like you must hide part of yourself greatly impacts both emotional and physical health.

Inclusion is about creating a safe space and enabling everyone to come to work as their whole self. Inclusive workplaces attract diverse employees, different voices and cultures, often becoming safer and happier for everyone. I’m really proud to be part of the LGBTQIA2S+ working group at the RAD and to be building community and visibility here.

Photo: Keshia Dodd
Photo: Keshia Dodd

What would your advice be to someone who is struggling to fit in?  

Try to find your tribe. There are many groups and organisations that can help you meet others in the community, or who have felt the same way as you. Know that you are not alone! There are also fantastic initiatives and dance classes that are focused on bringing the community together. I didn’t find my queer communities until my 30s, but have found a great LGBTQIA2S+ book club and dance group in London! 

How can the dance industry support the LGBTQIA2S+ community? 

Visibility all year is important. Historically there has been limited representation outside of traditional gender norms and relationships, especially in ballet, but we are starting to see a slow shift, with movements like Queer the Ballet at the forefront. The more we see inclusion of LGBTQIA2S+ voices at all levels of the industry, the more likely people are to feel that dance is for them too – that they are in a safe space to come as they are.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Dance Gazette Issue 11 - Oct 2024

REST OF Issue 11 - Oct 2024

Privacy & Cookies
Royal Academy of Dance® is a registered charity in England and Wales No. 312826. VAT reg No. GB 603 176371 ©2023 Royal Academy of Dance