I hadn't really considered a career in contemporary dance until I started my A Level in Dance at Exeter College. After about 2 weeks, I knew it was something I really wanted to pursue. Previous to my A Levels, I had studied ballet, jazz and tap from the age of eight, but I found contemporary dance gave me a wider sense of expression and physicality.

At 18 I auditioned for various dance degree courses at universities and vocational colleges but accepted a place at Laban on the BA (Hons) Dance Theatre course as I felt the training at a vocational college would provide better preparation for a career as a dancer. The course itself although hard, was extremely rewarding! Even in the first year we studied for approximately 30 hours a week and covered subjects such as ballet, contemporary, choreography, improvisation, partner work, not to mention the academic subjects which included dance culture, dance history, notation, aesthetics, choreology and anatomy to name a few! The intensity of Laban's course provided a thorough grounding in all aspects of contemporary dance, the practical training improved my technical ability and the atmosphere was like a second home.

Completing the degree course at Laban was probably the most important and beneficial part of my dance training. Not only did it prepare me mentally and physically for the dance industry, but my degree has enabled me to find work within dance administration which is a definite benefit when it comes to things like paying rent, bills and all the other living costs that suddenly appear when you graduate! Any performer of any discipline will tell you just how hard it is to find work in your chosen career. Being able to earn a living using other skills is a great advantage as the sporadic nature of dance work means that you'll spend a certain amount of your time not actually dancing!

After graduating in 2001, I performed with the graduate company Pivotal, which included performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then I have worked on lots of small projects including various independent films and also some teaching work. For the past 18 months I have been working with a small London based company called InterFiction which I'm really enjoying as they use film and multi-media as part of their performance.

My advice would be to think carefully about whether it is the right path for you to follow. Dance training at a vocational college is not for the faint hearted! You must be prepared to sacrifice a large part of your life as the training requires complete dedication and focus and much like the professional dance arena, the competition is always extremely tough. However, the rewards you encounter during such training, and in the profession certainly make the hard work worth it!