DCD and Equity - Working in partnership for all professional dancers  Christine Payne, Equity General Secretary Since its founding, DCD has continued to build a strong relationship with Equity and there are two Equity representatives on DCD's Board. This month, DCD asked Christine Payne, General Secretary, about how Equity supports dancers and the ongoing relationship between the two organsations:  What are the benefits of Equity membership for dancers? Equity represents dancers working throughout the entertainment industry. In the large ballet companies, such as the Royal Ballet, virtually all the dancers are Equity members who elect Equity Deputies and an Equity Committee to work with the full time Equity Official to ensure that the terms and conditions of employment are as good as can be achieved. This includes general pay and contract negotiations as well as individual intercessions on behalf of dancers who may need help and representation with management at some point in their career.   "Equity very much supports transition in to post performance careers given the career of a dancer is so short" Dancers working in the commercial sector are covered by our standard Equity Agreements, such as Equity’s Agreement with SOLT, the West End producers, or with the Commercial touring producers who are members of the TMA. We currently have dancers who work predominantly in the West End on an Equity Council working party helping us to improve the current terms and conditions of the standard Equity/SOLT West End Agreement. As well as offering collective support, we also help and support dancers who may experience individual difficulties with a particular contract, for example dancers working in variety and light entertainment, cruise ships, floor shows and at locations abroad, many of whom are engaged on contracts which may be good, but in some cases fall far short . Dancers also benefit from the services we offer all of our members including legal and insurance services, accident and back stage cover and there is also an additional insurance that provides them with access to free diagnostic scans in the event of injury.  What would be the benefits of dancers retaining Equity membership even after their principal performance career is over? Many dancers do retain membership of Equity once they have stopped performing, particularly if they go on to work as Rehearsal Directors or as Artistic Directors or Choreographers. We offer similar assistance to Choreographers with a range of negotiated standard contracts, and we offer the same levels of support when dancers are working in these capacities as we would if they were solely dancing. Does Equity support transition into post-performance careers? Does this relate to how Equity and DCD can work together in the future? The creation of DCD was many years ago, an Equity/Arts Council objective and monies were found by the Arts Council to give to the various dance companies to support the work of DCD. The dance industry as a whole is not so big it can support every ex dancer into a further career within its boundaries. Post performance careers outside of this framework are also important. Equity has also financially supported the work of the independent division which manages the work of grants to commercial and independent dancers who do not qualify for the Company Fund.  "Equity believes that the DCD career advice helps dancers  find the right career for them, either inside or outside of the industry" What are your general thoughts on the Dance Industry today and the future for professional dancers? Although there have been significant cuts to the major ballet companies we are hopeful that the subsidised Dance industry will survive the recent round of cuts reasonably intact and we note that Janet Archer, Director of Dance at the Arts Council England in an article for Dance UK said that collectively the dance agencies and dance houses in the national portfolio have increased their funding by 17% and that contemporary touring companies have also increased their joint funding by 17%. We have no indication that the numbers of jobs for dancers in the commercial sector has decreased. Obviously we are extremely worried about the effects of the cuts on the entertainment industry as a whole.   To find out more please visit the Equity website. All at DCD thank Equity for their ongoing support.

Photographer: Amber Hunt. Amber is a DCD retrained dancer. To see more of her work please visit her website	DCD is looking for Mentors Would you like to support DCD's ongoing work? DCD has been operating a networking service for some time and would like to support retraining dancers even further by formalising a mentoring programme.  If you feel you would make a good mentor to dancers beginning their transition, we would love to hear from you! Please email Jessica Carter, Grants Administrator, jessica@thedcd.org.uk or call 020 7831 1449	Where are you now? We love receiving feedback and  updates from dancers supported by DCD; whether you retrained two months or 25 years ago.  Not only do we enjoy hearing how you get on, but it can be enormously beneficial to dancers just beginning retraining as your feedback provides us with essential information on careers, training courses and the practicalities of transition. We can also promote your successes, achievements, businesses etc in the newsletter, on the website and Facebook. To provide DCD with an update on your career since retraining, please email jessica@thedcd.org.uk or call 02078311449

 

DCD Retrained Dancers                               *Congratulations to DCD retrained dancer Daniel Tanner, who has just started the first term of the Womenswear BA at London College of Fashion. Daniel has been awarded The Nicolas Samual Celebratory scholarship which helps to fund his first year. To view Daniel's portfolio please click here *Congratulations to DCD retrained dancer Anna Lowe on her new role as Culture Team Assistant on the London 2012 Festival as part of the Cultural Olympiad* Ryan Chappell has now begun his third year in his four year BA in Fashion Design and Realization degree at London College of Fashion. At the beginning of 2010 Ryan was the costume designer on Blaze that played at the Peacock Theatre and is still touring around Europe. Ryan has just finished another show, Some like it Hip Hop which has received great reviews. Congratulations Ryan*Many congratulations to Silvia Jimenez, DCD retrained dancer who has recently completed the RAD PDTD teacher training course. Silvia states "The support of the DCD has been invaluable, they made the transition easy and accessible. I have a two year old boy and their support meant that I could do the necessary training without having to worry about childcare. I am now a Qualified Dance Teacher and have been invited to teach in Spain as well as other small jobs in Birmingham. I thank the DCD for giving me the peace of mind to start a new side to my career"*Congratulations to DCD retrained dancer Omar Gordon, who has recently been working with the acclaimed British Director Joe Wright and choreographer Sidi-Larbi Cheraoui, on their new feature film. Omar has also just wrapped on a Channel 4 commission with acclaimed music video director, Saam Farahmand, which will be aired soon* Congratulations to all of the dancers featured. Please do keep us updated on any career news we can feature in this newsletler.

2011 Special Bursary Recipients Announced                                                                                          DCD are delighted to announce that six prestigious bursaries have been awarded  to Independent professional dancers who presented outstanding retraining applications. "Wallace Potts Bursary"  Jonathan McDermott The bursary will help Jonathan to pursue a career  as a freelance film-maker. "Maude Lloyd & Rudolf Nureyev Bursary" Hazel Gold Hazel will now undertake Levels 3 and 6 in Sign Language and Sign Language Interpreting with the  British School of Sign Language. "Wendy Toye CBE Bursary" Lewis Butler Lewis will now undertake an MA in Musical Theatre  Creative Practice: Choreography pathway at Arts Educational School. "Acting for Others Bursary"      Jane Butler  Jane will now undertake an MA in  Acting at Arts Educational School. "Acting for Others Bursary" Alan Vincent Alan will now begin the Domestic Electrical  Installer Advanced course with New Career Skills. "Bettine Goldberg Dance Teaching Bursary" Nick Crossley Nick will now undertake the RAD Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies. The DCD Board of Directors were impressed by this  year's exceptionally high standard  of applications as well as the extremely wide range of retraining projects proposed for funding. Please see our website for more information including  images of the awardees!	-Trustee Talk-   Anthony Gordon     DCD Retrained dancer and DCD Development Committee Member Born into a small town Canadian family of 8 children,  I still wonder how I managed to find my way to London and  become a ballet dancer. At the ripe old age of 16, I took my first ballet class as part of a drama summer school program. The teacher approached me and asked how long I had been dancing,  so I looked up at the clock to see how long I'd been there. Two decades later, I've had the pleasure of dancing with the Royal Ballet, London City Ballet, Phantom of the Opera, English National Opera, Cyprus Ballet and have traveled to over 100 countries across the world performing as an adagio act with my wife Amy Bailey. As my 30th birthday approached, I had done more with my career than I imagined possible and thought it would be a smart move to "get a real job." Although I  had a few personal contacts in the fashion industry and wanted to get involved in talent scouting, I lacked the confidence to try another unusual and unstructured career path. I kept stalling the transition until a friend recommended I  visit Linda Yates at Dancers' Career Development. The support I got from DCD was exactly what I needed to boost my confidence and go for it. I forged my way into the doors of Premier Model Management, and within 2 years, became the Director of Scouting and Development. Serving as a Trustee on the Development Committee is an honour and a pleasure and I am proud to be helping my fellow dancers with their challenging career transitions.	DCD Featured Business of the Month                                                        Mark Pettitt (ex dancer) retired from performing and after transitioning into casting decided  to set up In House Casting and Agency. In House Casting is the only truly dedicated support service for aspiring talent and professionals working in the entertainment industry. We are not just a listings directory  but a central hub for the whole entertainment community and our aim is to provide the exact  kind of help, information and support  every serious performer needs, as they progress and develop their careers. With In House Agency already going from  strength to strength, In House Casting officially launches towards the end of 2011. As a thank you to DCD for their continued support we would like to offer some reduced  price advertising space  on the In House Casting website  to DCD members whose businesses  are directly linked to the arts. Please contact us for further details and to discuss your advertising requirements! Mark Pettitt Director, In House Casting info@inhousecasting.com     www.inhousecasting.com

 

Support  Dancers’ Career Development is kindly supported by:  Combined Theatrical Charities/Acting for Others, Equity Charitable Trust, Society of London Theatre, Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, Cameron Mackintosh Limited.The DCD Fund is kindly funded by the following Contributing companies: Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Rambert Dance Company, Richard Alston Dance Company, Scottish Ballet, Siobhan Davies, The Royal Ballet. There are many ways that you can help DCD to continue its work. If you, or you know anybody who would like to know more then please do get in touch.

Dancers’ Career Development
Plouviez House
19-20 Hatton Place
London EC1N 8RU
T: 020 7831 1449
admin@thedcd.org.uk
www.thedcd.org.uk
Registered Charity Number: 327747
Want to unsubscribe or change your details?
Forward this email
Hard-copies of this Newsletter are available from the DCD office