You must have made a decision at some point about contemporary dance?
My transition actually came through the CAT scheme I mentioned earlier. They had open days where you could go and meet the team and take some classes and I just found that I was captivated by this particular way of moving. Now I have to say that I found it really challenging because, obviously I had been trained in ballet, and this was a completely different way of moving. I was always being told to stop pointing my toes in contemporary class. But I found it exciting and I could see a lot of potential for me in working with that style.
One of the first contemporary shows I saw was by BalletBoyz in Cambridge around 2017. I was completely entranced by it. One of those performances where you go away and you can’t stop thinking about it. This was a big inspiration for me to peruse contemporary dance, and I’m really happy to say I worked with BalletBoyz last year, bit of a full circle moment. Although I enjoyed ballet, I just couldn’t see myself working within that industry. I was completely captivated by contemporary dance.
How did your career in dance develop?
I was ready to go, I was trained up, fit and had all the tools I needed to work, and then Covid hit. All the companies had closed their doors and no-one was looking to hire new people. It was a very tough period as no-one knew what the future of the performing arts was. There was no way of knowing whether dance companies would survive, whether they would hire people in the future. I opened the door with beaming eyes to be met with a catastrophe.
What did you do?
I had to get normal jobs, working in a pub, taking anything to get by. I had to do a lot of ZOOM classes to keep up my skills. I was always banging into things in my living room. Eventually, I was very lucky to get an audition with the Russell Maliphant Dance Company, based in London. I did well enough to get the job so I left Leeds and moved to London and became integrated into the freelance world of dance in London. That saw me going from one job to another.
You were now part of the industry?
Yes, I’ve worked with some really wonderful artists, there is a strong network in London. But there was another problem; Brexit. The dance companies in Europe were put off employing dancers from the UK because it meant they had to source a visa for you. For freelancers in the UK that shut off a whole network of opportunities further afield.
What happens then?
I saw the Luail audition announcement on a website called Dancing Opportunities, they post things that are coming up. People began discussing the excitement about there being a new national dance company, it was an exciting thing to want to get involved in. I had to send an improv video, and a CV
and a few other bits and pieces and I was lucky enough to get an audition. Once I came over to meet the team and saw a glimpse of the future of the company, it felt tantalising, very exciting.
If you would like to see more of Meghan Stevens’ Work click on the links below –
