It's not all Jazz Hands!

The second installment of the jobs in the arts series that I'm curating introduces us to Ricky Rojas.

What is your job?

I’m a musical theatre performer and have been in several musicals internationally both in the West End and Broadway, New York. Buddy the musical, Fame, Grease, Joseph, Flashdance, Burn the Floor, Sister Act, Moulin Rouge to name a few. 

What is your dance background

I didn’t actually train in dance although coming from a Latin background I always had rhythm. I was in a Chilean folk dancing group which taught me how to dance in an ensemble and spacing. Later when I was went into musical theatre I took classes at the Sydney Dance Company in Australia.

Did you want to be a dancer when you grew up?

I was more interested in being a singer and performer but of course all of this goes hand in hand with dance.

What training did you do for it?

I did my A level equivalent in Drama in Australia and also took some classes at they Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) which worked on all aspects of theatre as well as physical awareness and dance

What are the best and worst things about your job?

The worst thing about my job now used to be the best thing... the travel. I’ve been lucky to see many places around the world.

Would you recommend your job to aspiring dancers?

Absolutely.. but just know that it is a tough ride... and you have to put in the hard work and be willing to diversify (voice/acting) if you want to make a career of it as you get older. The acting isn’t generally too hard for dancers as when you dance you have to act (or should be) to get the best interpretation from a set piece.

Who is your dance inspiration?

I love to watch strong dancers ... when I was in the folk group I was really inspired by Joaquin Cortes the Spanish flamenco dancer. From a musical theatre view... there’s no one better than Gene Kelly... ahead of his time.

Get a job!

So many of the children who I come across tell me they want to be a ballerina when they grow up but sadly the reality is that only a very select few will make it as a performer. I won't ever dash dreams but I will remind kids that if they truly want to work with in the arts there is always a job they could do.

So, this is the first in a series is to help give children, and their grownups, some ideas on what they could do to be involved in their beloved art. I'm speaking to various people in varying jobs and they've kindly agreed to answer some questions for me.

I'd like you to meet the very lovely Jo (link at the bottom) 

What is your job?

I run a Dance wear shop in Totton. I also make costumes for dancers for festivals and shows. 

What is your dance background?

From the age of 2 years old I attended ballet classes and at 5 also took classes in Tap and modern. During this time I performed in many shows and pantomimes. At 15 I developed a disease in my knees and so unfortunately had to stop dancing. After moving to Weymouth I became Business Manager of WOW youth musical theatre, which I loved. My daughter also took classes from the age of two, was a Royal Ballet associate till the age of 14 and then became involved in musical theatre. She trained at Liane Theatre Arts and has performed in many uk/international tours and West End shows around the world and is currently in Bat out of Hell at the Dominion theatre.

Did you want to be a dancer when you grew up?

Fortunately I didn’t want to perform as a career, my other love was art so I followed that path studying art and textile design.

What training did you need to do to get your job?

I trained in a shop in Weymouth where I originally worked. Also went to Pointe shoe fitting courses with various companies to ensure we can obtain the perfect fit for every dancer. I also attend a sewing course each week which helps with designing and making costumes.

We'd love to know what are the best and worst parts of your job? 

The best things about my job are being surrounded by lovely dancers of all ages from the tiny 2 or 3 year olds to our oldest ballroom dancer who is 93 years old! It’s so lovely to watch the tiniest dancers grow up and to watch them enjoy their hobby or to develop their hobby into a career. Stars has been open for 13 years and we have followed several girls and boys go on to college and then break into the industry or becoming Dance teachers themselves. Luckily we don’t have any worst parts to our job!

Would you recommend your job to aspiring dancers?

For someone wanting to perform obviously this isn’t the job for them. However if they don’t want to perform, but love to be involved with dancers and performers and enjoy working with the general public then this would be great.

And finally - Who is your dance inspiration?

My inspiration comes from the dancers we meet every day in the shop, striving hard to improve their technique and achieve great exam results, their excitement of performing in shows and pantomimes. There is nothing more inspiration than going to see the students we have helped in the shop perform.

If you'd like to see Jo in action here is a link to her store :)

http://www.starsdancewear.co.uk/

Don't rush me!

Children develop skills in their own time. A child learns so fast compared to an adult that we almost expect them to meet targets ahead of schedule and we become concerned if our child isn’t meeting the targets at the same time as their friend that they are behind and aren’t as clever or advanced as their peers.

The points at which children develop various skills are always a guideline. I seen from my own experience the difference in the age at which children are walking and talking is vast. My daughter walked at 9 months, one of her brothers didn’t until he was 13 months and that’s ok. She was far too young to understand that there was a danger element attached! She could also use the words Thank You at 15 months. Again due to being a danger baby - she thanked an ambulance crew who were shocked at her clear speech.

So walking and talking is where it starts. In regards to dance we are interested in skills further up the chain.

Dance teachers are interested in gross motor skills when your children are very young, the refined movements of a mature dancer are generally out of their grasp as a teacher would expect. Sometimes we find an exceptional student who manages to hit their targets ahead of the curve but this comes with it’s own issues. The main motor skills involve the larger muscles, those in the torso, the legs and the arms, and these skills include walking, running, skipping and jumping which we do a lot of in dance class. Our younger dancers tend to do exercises that isolate body groups. In ballet we hold our skirts in the youngest classes, it takes their arms out of the equation, while they focus on their legs and feet.

Once we have learned how to carry out our gross motor skills we start working on fine tuning them, then developing both fine skills and the sense of proprioception - in short terms knowing where one is in ones body in time and space - being able to walk without thinking about it is an example of proprioception working.

In conclusion I think what I’m trying to say is that there is so much to learn and so many skills being refined that if you aren’t at exactly the same stage as your peer it’s not an issue. Keep practising and with time you’ll learn that skill.

Somethings to try!

Jump clap!

Try jumping on two feet and then following it up with a clap. When the children first try this they often end up jumping and clapping simultaneously.

Rub your tum and Pat your head!

This is super tricky! We want you to co-ordinate a patting movement with one limb with a circular motion with the other.

Heel beats

Try lying on your front, turn your legs out from your hip socket and have a go at rapidly beating your heels together. Sounds simple enough!