Andrew Cook

Past Experiences

As a dancer, I receive questions about where my motivation comes from, how my experiences aided my progression, and what I gained from them.

 

My primary and most powerful motivation is one that has been the driving force through all my studies and stretches. It has moved me to become dedicated to work beyond all my breaking points and constantly push that little bit farther. This was my first rejection. As a late starter in the world of dance, I had years of training to catch up on, which left me physically deficient when it came to certain aspects. This meant that when I applied to a local (but prestigious) academy for extra lessons and help to improve my abilities and garner knowledge for my future career, they refused me on the grounds that they thought I would never make it to a ballet school, “let alone make a career out of dance”. This statement only fuelled my desire to improve, and since then has driven me beyond where I thought I ever would go, and only this has allowed me to forge my body into something I am proud of, after earning places at multiple schools and attending Ballet West Scotland for 3 years. This experience has taught me how to accept criticism, to use it for my own advantage, and allows me to push further and train harder than otherwise possible. This has allowed me to be the first person in stretching every day, and the last to leave, either doing extra training by myself, or by roping in partners to practise with.

 

Whilst my motivations have been what have fuelled my desire for self-improvement, my experiences on stage have been what has given me confidence, enjoyment, and a taste of professionalism. Taking part in Ballet West’s annual ballet tours of Scotland have been of great use when it comes to this niche in my skills. I have been lucky enough to have had the chance to perform Soloist roles on stage during these tours, and it showed me everything the dancer does. I’m not just talking about that rush when a variation goes smoothly, or the feeling when the audience gives you a standing ovation. This experience also introduced me to the hours spent on a tour bus getting cramped muscles, the rushed rehearsal due to unexpected traffic, and the panic when costumes are broken or lost. To me, these are the experiences that are the most valuable. They showed me what professionals have to put up with, the downs of the dancer contrasted right next to the highs. These experiences showed me that no matter how awful the journey or the rehearsal is, the performance is still the best thing in the world. It also taught me how to cope under stress, how to change my dancing to fit or fill a space, and most of all, it taught me the invaluable skill of performing, and the connection we make with an audience from the stage.

 

I believe that my late entry into the world of ballet has been an experience in itself. I believe that, because I was of an age where I actively chose to begin a foray into the world of dance, it has allowed me to be open-minded about all dance styles. This unprejudiced view of movement techniques has allowed me to try everything to the best of my ability and given me a well-rounded education and a diverse pool of influences to draw from in my own work. This comes in especially useful when having worked with guest teachers, so that I can work comfortably with a contemporary teacher from Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, a well-known Jazz dancer from famous commercials and music videos, or an older Classical Ballet master who danced with Nureyev himself.

 

Learning how to work with other professional dancers is not only a skill I procured from tours, but also one I discovered when I attended the Geneé International Ballet Competition. Working for 10 days with students from all across the world, but with a common love of dance really opened my eyes to different ways dance can be construed. It also gave me a love for working with dancers I’d never worked with before, and how beneficial sharing and learning from our experiences can be. During this time I also witnessed Scottish Ballet’s double bill of Rite of Spring and Elite Syncopations. (Please find a review attached). What I enjoyed most about this, was just how markedly different my opinion on a move or theme could be to another person’s, but that this drastic contrast of opinion is what makes the Arts so indefinable – that they are so open to interpretation.