Hannah
Six month placement-started January 2003How did you go about gaining work experience at Ludus? I.e. the actual process you went through-did you use the website?
I didn't use the website. The placement was arranged through my tutor at university.
Who did you contact?
The university contacted Rachel, I assume via telephone and they did the groundwork, setting it up. I then contacted Rachel by phone and arranged an interview.
What information did you give Ludus when you contacted them?
In my interview I had to provide-
· Previous experiences
· Any concerns
· Areas I would like to work in
· Where I feel confident.
Was there any extra information that Ludus asked you to supply?
No.
Did you have to have references?
References were not applicable-recommendation from the university was sufficient.
What problems did you encounter when applying for work experience at Ludus?
No problems as far as I am aware.
Were there any requirements before Ludus would consider you for work experience? I.e. any previous knowledge or training?
As I am on a dance degree I assume I was considered.
Why did you want to do work experience at Ludus?
· Believe in their ethos
· Believe passionately in Community Dance
What is the best part of the job?
I've only been here a few days but so far, everything has been great!
What is the worst part?
Initial worries about living up North (!) in a new area of the country.
Any other comments you think should be made
I'll be able to tell you more as I settle so I'll let you know.
Karen
One Year placement-started September 2002"A dance teacher told me at college that Ludus take on work placement students. She spoke to one of the Ludus artists at the "Clash" performance at the Charter Theatre last February or March and asked them how I would go about applying for this. I was told to write a little essay type thing about why I wanted the work placement, what I wanted to experience through working with Ludus and the times I would be available throughout my gap year. This was e-mailed to Rachel I think, by my teacher and I was then sent a letter saying they would be able to offer me a work placement for the forthcoming academic year, working one or two days a week.
I was invited up to Lancaster to meet people and talk about what I wanted to do with Ludus. Rachel was really helpful and gave me a guided tour of the building and introduced me to everyone who was in the building at the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet everyone as the touring company was on tour and some of the other artists were out teaching. I was given a Ludus Work Placement pack, which is full of information about the history of Ludus Dance Company and their work.
When applying for my work placement I didn't need any references but I think someone may have contacted my dance teacher at college who helped me arrange the placement, but I'm not 100% sure about that! There weren't any requirements that Ludus asked for, so to speak, but they knew I studied A level Dance at Cardinal Newman College so they at least knew I had a keen interest in dance!
In general it was really easy applying for my work placement. Rachel was really friendly to me and explained that it was my work placement and could do as much or as little as I wanted and that I could choose the projects that I wanted to become involved with. I think a page on the web site for this would be excellent, as it would speed up the process and make it even easier to apply.
I wanted to work with Ludus because I thought it would be a brilliant experience-not many people will be able to say that before they even began their dance degree, they worked with a professional company for a year. I am starting a dance degree at Bretton Hall this September and knew that working with Ludus would provide me with a good introduction into the workings of a professional dance company, in terms of the actual touring company and also the community work that they do. The work placement will provide me with a lot of good contacts for whilst I am studying at uni but also for afterwards when I try and make a career out of my dance training!
Up until now, I have only experienced the dance development side of things i.e. the community work that they do, and now that I have worked with them for a while I am just amazed by the amount of work that these guys do. They are always 110% enthusiastic when teaching classes, even if it's the fifth time that day that they've taught this one particular lesson because the year group is split up into many different groups! They have been really friendly to me and made me feel at ease throughout my time with them so far. The company as a whole is so professional and I didn't realise beforehand how much goes on behind the scenes, such as team meetings, lesson planning and discussions about the different groups and how the tutors can maximise each group's potential.
At first, my role wasn't really that definite as I was sampling lots of different groups for about a month. Once I'd settled in and tried everything I had a meeting with Rachel and we discussed what I enjoyed and what I didn't enjoy. We decided that I would work on Monday evenings at Longridge Youth and Community Centre, Tuesday mornings at Beaumont Special Needs College, Lancaster and then I come in voluntarily on Thursdays for Pro class. As you can see, I was offered one day a week for my placement but thanks to the tutors, I've been given many more opportunities to work with Ludus, which is great. We are currently trying to kind of raise my importance within the company and help more with lesson planning and teaching. Last week I taught the class at Longridge, which was very nerve-wracking but a great experience all the same. I have also started teaching a little at Beaumont, but there I am happier working one to one with a student and helping them with their mobility.
The best part of the job is definitely working at Beaumont. After the first time I worked there, I knew that what Anna and Andrea do there is what I want to do after my degree if being a performer doesn't work out for me, or after I've finished my career as a performer if it does work out! I love Tuesdays because I always know that I'll have fun working at Beaumont. The students there are amazing and it makes me feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to help them out and get to know them. It's really challenging though and I always come home so tired on Tuesdays, but it's worth it! The worst part is the travelling expenses. Ludus don't have any funding for me so it's costing an absolute fortune which makes it difficult because I'm trying to save up for uni, driving lessons and train and bus fares to Lancaster all at the same time! Also the early mornings are killing me but it's got to be done I suppose!
I suppose I'd say to anyone considering a work placement to make sure they'll be able to find some way of covering transport costs because it is a lot more expensive than you think. I'd tell them to keep an open mind because it's easy to go into a high school for example and think that all the students will be stroppy teenagers, but you find that that's not the case a lot of the time. I'd make sure that the work placement student does want to work in dance sometime in his or her future because it will be an amazing experience for someone who wants to make a career out of dance in some way.