Page 7 - DANCE 2020 Full Time Studies Guide

Full-Time STudieS Guide 2020
Don’t take yourself too seriously
Alice Dalton is a performer at Witches in Britches Theatre Restaurant in Melbourne and a dance, movement and music teacher.
Where are you from? Mackay, Queensland.
Where did you undertake your full-time training?
Central Queensland Conservatorium
of Music in Mackay, Qld.
What level of education had you attained before beginning your full-time training? Bachelor of Theatre, specialising in music theatre.
What were the most important benefits of your studies?
I learnt how to push myself, how to work with others and how to create, explore and play rather than copy other people’s performances. Falling into the trap of being a cardboard cut-out of someone else is very easy to do, so learning how to be my own performer was incredibly helpful!
Tell us a little about your present job.
My current job is performing in a comedy cabaret with lots of interaction with the
audience and improvisation with
other cast members. The thing I love most about this job is that every show is different, which makes it fun and exciting!
How quickly did you gain employment upon graduation?
My first performing job after university was entertaining at kids’ parties and events as various characters, I started this job about
six months after I graduated and moved to Melbourne. However, I landed my first full-time performing gig about two months
ago after working as a waitress in the theatre restaurant for about six months and then being asked to take over for someone who was leaving with two weeks notice!
How did you find the transition from full-time studies to the profession?
Hard work! Suddenly I didn’t have the structure that was set by my course and I quickly realised I needed to make things happen by myself.
In saying that, I celebrated every small achievement, from going to a class to landing
Cabaret is fun! Dalton at work.
Soak up every piece of information and jump at every opportunity to learn...”
a job. When you are forced to create your own path to success you have to celebrate where you are and how far you’ve come, even if the road ahead feels impossible.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were a student?
Soak up every piece of information and jump at every opportunity to learn. Studying can be draining at times but I promise all the hard hours will be worth it at the end! Also, have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. If performing is what you love then you should be able to have fun with it. There are no rules or boundaries, so just try it and see what happens!
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU | 7