We interview Sally about her career and her advice for people wishing to pursue similar roles
What is your role?
Postgraduate Course Leader
What path did you take to get where you are today?
My career has evolved from performing to choreographing, teaching, researching, and
management in the Performing Arts and Education. I initially trained professionally as a
dancer and actor in the United States, moving to the UK shortly after I graduated from
university. I have a BFA in Dance, an MA in Choreography, and a PhD in Dance
Ethnography.
During my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I took on more Choreographer and Movement Director roles while studying. After completing my MA, I landed my first full-time lecturing role in an HEI. I lectured in FE and HE for eight years before I moved overseas to Trinidad and Tobago. While there, I continued to work professionally as a performer and choreographer while lecturing and eventually leading the Dance Unit in the Department of Creative and Festival Arts at the University of the West Indies.
I returned to the UK after nearly five years abroad to continue teaching in HE,
developing a new degree for a dance college. I also work across institutions in the UK and
abroad as an External Examiner and External Advisor on Dance courses. In my current
institution, I am a Postgraduate Course Leader.
What does an average day, week, year look like for you?
My average year follows the usual pattern of most HEIs with Induction, teaching blocks, and
assessments. The main difference is that the assessments are often in the form of full
theatre or dance productions, which have their unique demands and schedules. My average
week includes overseeing staff and students in teaching sessions, productions, and
assessments.
There is no such thing as an ‘average day’ in Performing Arts. You must be ready for
anything: fire evacuations with students in full costume and makeup, stepping in to run lights
or sound equipment during a rehearsal, calming crying students who may be overwhelmed
with the demands of a production, mediating between staff clashing over directing decisions,
or watching students deliver an outstanding performance for visiting dignitaries. There is
always drama, excitement, pure joy, and very unique challenges that you will not encounter
in any other field.
What are the best parts of your role?
The best part of my current role is the people I manage on my team. I work with incredible
educators and practitioners who are extremely creative and passionate about the Arts and
Education. These people are brilliant problem-solvers, always finding solutions to make
things work for the students in challenging situations. This also leads to lively debates,
creative collaborations, and the occasional sing-along in the staff room.
What are the more challenging parts of your role?
Adequate resources. Training dancers, actors, and musicians in HE requires very specific
resources (e.g., specialist spaces, texts and music rights, industry experts), and it is always
challenging to justify these costs in the current financial climate of budget cuts, especially in
the Arts.
What advice would you give someone who is looking to have a similar career?
What advice would you give someone who is looking to have a similar career?
Be flexible and adaptable. Don’t be afraid to say yes to an opportunity, you never know
where it might lead you.
What do you wish you knew earlier?
Every career path in the Creative and Performing Arts is different. There is no ‘right way’ or
‘right job’; the industry is always evolving.
What do you think your role will look like 10, 20 years from now?
There will always be a need for Course Leaders, Programme Leaders, and Department
Leaders in HEIs, as these roles play an important part in supporting staff and Senior
Management. I think the duties and responsibilities will continue to shift and evolve as the
HEI landscape changes.
How do you feel AI will impact your role?
AI is already having an impact on student submissions. This requires me to add additional
training for lecturers to ensure they teach students how to utilise it without resulting in
plagiarism. It is a great resource for grant applications, action plans, and research
applications, providing useful templates to build on and help manage my workload.
If you had to name a book that everyone should read, what would it be and why?
The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis. We recommend this to our students. For me, it summarises how a career in the Creative or Performing Arts continues to evolve. My career has certainly had a few squiggles in it, and I continue on a non-linear path as I navigate the shifting worlds of research and practice.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. I read this during grad school,
and it sparked some great discussions between my Dad and me about resilience and taking
the time to think through your problems.
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We are very grateful to Dr Sally for her time and thoughts.
Please get in touch with us at Transform-ED for further support, guidance and opportunities.