DYNS Chat to Emily Golding-Ellis

We held our first Instagram Live, and we were joined with the lovely Emily Golding-Ellis. Talking all things support, advice and top tips for dancers heading into the industry.

But don't worry if you missed it, Let's Talk DYNS is here to save the day!

In this blog we will share everything that was discussed, or if you'd prefer to watch the Live, head over to our IGTV page on our Instagram where you can watch the full thing!

 

To kick us off, let's chat a bit about Emily. 

Emily is a professional dancer and choreographer from Bristol. She trained in ballet and tap when she was younger but didn't feel she could vibe with those styles, but she does believe it's very important to have the technique that Ballet can provide.

She fell in love with street dance at the age of 16 and began creating choreography for fun for her family and friends, and this led her to fall in love with choreographing.

Fast forward to later in her life, Emily studied Dance at university, and from there she thought she would take a deep dive into the industry.

She teaches many classes at BASE Dance Studios in London and has also choreographed for the well known band, Bring Me The Horizon, an incredible achievement!

She also has her own small, dance based business, called Business Behind Dance. Her business is all about helping out other dancers in the industry with tips for auditions, help with HMRC and taxes, all of the important stuff, which sometimes we forget, and also HATE doing! So it's great to have someone there with the tools, experience and the resources available in one place. 

Business Behind Dance came about in the coronavirus lockdown, when everything shut down, the dance industry was dry and she needed an income and a drive. Emily was very passionate about staying in the dance industry throughout the lockdown.

 

What is Business Behind Dance?

Business Behind Dance is a private Instagram page, which offers a whole load of advice and support with the following:

- CV's                                                               - Photoshoots

- Register as self employed                             - HMRC

- Injuries                                                           - Taxes & NI

- Do you need a website?                                - and more!

 

 

Why did you start up Business Behind Dance?

"I didn't have the most.. by the book journey. I was a bit of a lone ranger, I didn't have a mentor to help me along the way."

Emily didn't have anyone in her life, that was in the industry to tell her 'this is what you need to do, this is who you need to speak to, these are the classes you need to take'. 

So, she thought, there must be other dancers in the industry who are in a similar situation, why not make life easier for them!

She wanted to create a home for all of the information to help dancers, not with the physical aspects of dance, but with all the other stuff.

"There is so much information everywhere, I could just put this in one place, so that people know where to find what they need."

 

What advice would you give to dancers who are just getting started in the industry?

Emily believes it's so important to find who YOU are as a dancer, because that is what will get you the right work for you. 

Find out what makes you stand out and use that to your advantage.

"Find what is it that makes you indispensable as a dancer."

"It's less of a case of looking for work, but of looking for yourself and the work will find you."

 

What are your top tips for auditions?

When auditioning, it's all about self confidence. Just know that you are going to try your very best, and if you don't get the job, it could be that you are just 1 inch too small! 

Never think that you didn't get the job because you danced terribly or made mistakes, that can all be fixed in rehearsals. It's more about owning who you are and selling yourself.

Emily believes a first impression is EVERYTHING when it comes to auditions. It's always important to remember that as soon as you walk into that studio, all eyes are on you, so ALWAYS be professional.

It could be the difference between walking in, having time spare and going on your phone, or standing in the middle of the studio and stretching, getting yourself ready for the audition. 

As dancers we need to remember, always be yourself. If you are 100% yourself within an audition, and you don't get the job, it wasn't right for you. If you continue to be 100% yourself, then the right job will come.

 

 

DYNS is all about breaking the mould of what everyone's perception of the "perfect dancer" should be, and that you alone, are enough.

So we asked Emily what her thought's were on the stigma of the "perfect dancer's image."

"I'd like to think that it is moving away from it slightly now. There are so many different artists that have different aesthetics and preferences, that require all kind's of dancers."

It all comes back to being truly confident in who you are, not just as a dancer, but as a person too, this will shine through in everything that you do.

 

Do you have any tips to help with self confidence?

No one is your competition, because they're not you. As long as everyday, you are doing something to help make yourself better, then everything else around you is irrelevant.

You can always look and observe someone else and pull aspects from them, but ultimately you are your own journey. 

 

We are so excited to be able to share all of these incredible tips and advice to you dancers, and we hope it helps you in some way. 

We'd like to say a huge thank you to all of our viewers who watched it live and asked questions, we really appreciate your presence.

Also also thank you to Emily, for the incredible, motivational and inspiring talk, we can't wait to work with you again in the future.

 

Go and follow her personal and business Instagram pages for more!

@emilygoldingellis_

@businessbehinddance

 

Lots of love

The DYNS Team xx