A bit of background about me
My name is Leah Wallace, and I am very much London-based, born and raised in the east bit of the district line where no one dares go.
I am a freelance dance artist and choreographer, as well as an events curator as part of the youth collective at the British Museum and freelance commercial events assistant. I recently graduated from the A New Direction course NON LINEAR, where I developed my filmmaking skills while using it as an excuse to showcase my dance on film.
What was your journey like when you were first starting out? What choices did you make to lead you to where you are today?
The earliest difficult decision I can recall was what I would do once I had finished sixth form college. This was especially confusing as I had chosen the most random A Level subjects (French, Psychology and Theatre Studies... I mean what job or university course does that combo prepare me for?). I also did NOT get particularly good grades…
I knew I did not want to go to university to study a Humanities subject like everyone else seemed to be doing and I definitely did not specialise in any STEM subjects, so I simply did not submit a UCAS application.
I actually took a year out of education, but not to do something really cool and sexy like go on a gap year (pronounced yar), I simply got a job in a coffee shop and worked until I couldn’t stand it any longer.
While that was not exactly a positive experience, it did allow me to take my time to (in a way) retreat and rethink my next move. During that year I auditioned for various dance conservatoires and was offered a place at Trinity Laban Conservatoire to study BA Contemporary Dance and was so thrilled.
When thinking about that time in my life, I am so glad I didn’t give in to the pressure of uncertainty and automatically pursue a university education as I know it would not have given me a meaningful experience in the way that vocational training has. I guess my point is that it takes some people a little time to figure out their next steps and that’s ok. After such an intense chapter of your life of constant study, sometimes you need time to process what has happened and think about what it is that you want to achieve next.
What are my most memorable successes?
While I would still consider myself a newcomer in the creative world, my most memorable success (so far hopefully!) has been Symbiosis. This was a short dance performance that I choreographed and performed in collaboration with my good friend Adriana Garcia Pinilla for the first event I assisted in organising at the British Museum. As I’m sure you can imagine, this required a LOT of compartmentalising as my role in this event essentially became three-fold as curator, choreographer and performer.
However, I am particularly proud of this success, firstly because it combined perfectly my two true passions: dance and museums, and secondly, because finding the means to actually perform your own work in a high-profile institute is very difficult as a freelance artist. This basically happened because of my hustling a little. I joined the youth collective to expand my knowledge of the workings of museums and while doing just that, I saw a window to open an opportunity for myself as a dance artist, and of that, I am quite proud.
What key learnings am I taking away from this experience?
The NON LINEAR programme has certainly opened my eyes to the unconventional ways that creatives can carve out their professional career. I am an artist and I ultimately want to make work, but I understand that it’s in my interest to take a more flexible approach to conception and creation. I feel that art is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and therefore creatives are keen to take a more ‘jack of all trades’ approach to their work.
This is really positive in my opinion! Perhaps this will take the pressure off school students feeling like they have to pick a specialism so early in their education or will encourage people to try a new hobby or skill – even if they are terrible at it. I think life is about soaking up all the learning experiences that you can, as opposed to perfecting one specific craft. While I’m sure being the best at one particular thing is great, it closes you off from tonnes of different possibilities. I don’t know though; people are different, and I respect that too!
Did you face any challenges during your time on the programme? How did you overcome them?
Going in, I did worry that I wasn’t as skilled or knowledgeable as others on the course who were self-pronounced directors, producers and editors. Film isn’t my ‘discipline’, but I think having that attitude is a consequence of belonging to a world that is competitive to the point of demanding you completely identify with your craft. The truth is that while others may have more film experience, I am just as capable as anyone else to learn new skills and develop an interest in a new artistic endeavour. Creatives are not necessarily built to do just one thing.
How has it been navigating the industry as a person with my identity?
I do feel fortunate to have grown up in London as it means that my life is here, and I don’t have the pressure of travelling in and out of the city for opportunities. I know that some creatives feel disconnected from everything as their proximity from the cultural hub reduces their chances of being in the right place at the right time, where a lot of opportunities do seem to happen spontaneously.
That being said, I’m still affected by financial barriers as some of my time has to be dedicated to generating income, usually in service-based jobs, which isn’t exactly my dream. Moreover, staying engaged in dance is costly. We, as practitioners, are encouraged to partake in workshops, classes, and intensives, some of which involve travel expenses. I appreciate that it’s pretty common for artists to have part-time casual work, but it means that those who are financially supported by other means (such as their parents) have an advantage. As they say: time is money.
Navigating this industry has also involved a bit of a reality check when it came to thinking about a career as a dancer. Consistent, contracted work is so unlikely, simply because the odds are ridiculous. There is a surplus of talented dancers in the world but only so many companies and so many roles to be filled.
Meanwhile, a personal difficulty I have is my chronic injury/disability. While the dance community works hard to be inclusive, it is still a physical and mental barrier for me, and unfortunately, It does discourage me from putting myself forward for certain roles. This makes navigating the professional world challenging for me at times, especially since my disability isn’t obvious and explaining myself is difficult. To navigate this, I try to remind myself that I am still very capable, but perhaps dancing on an intense, full-time basis isn’t the right move for me, hence the need for creative approaches to making work so that everyone can take part!
What is the most useful advice you have ever received related to your career?
As I was leaving Trinity Laban, my personal Tutor Tina gave me some words of wisdom that have stuck with me. I remember feeling worried that transitioning from full-time dance training would be damaging to both my physical abilities and artistic enthusiasm. I think most artists worry about staying engaged in their practice for fear of becoming ‘rusty’, but Tina told me that you never really lose it. Whatever ‘it’ means is anyone’s guess, but I have found this sentiment to be true.
Whether intentional or not, I have taken some longer periods away from dancing since graduating and have found that when I return to it, my body remembers what to do. This advice has been useful because remembering it discourages me from closing myself off from potential opportunities with the excuse that I am ‘out of practice’, and I think this applies to any creative practice.