Youth Dance Ambassador news
In December 2011 Youth Dance Ambassador for Norfolk Evie-May Augur interviewed choreographer Nikki Trow.
Q. Firstly, could you tell me about your training? Did you study at vocational school or university, or did you take a different route entirely?
A. I trained in ballet from the age of three at my local church hall, then started jazz and tap at another local school at around 8/9 years. My comprehensive school, Impington Village College, had a great dance department and this is where I was lucky enough to do extra workshops with companies like Motionhouse and Shobana Jeyasingh. This helped me develop an experimental approach alongside my regular classes. At 18 I went to London Studio Centre (a vocational school) to study the degree course. To be a commercial dancer I think you have to go to a vocational school.
Q. Did you always want to be a dancer?
A. Yes.
Q. Was it a natural progression from dancer to choreographer, or did choreography come first for you?
A. A lot of dancers get to around 29 and know they have to start thinking of the next thing. Many become makeup artists or personal trainers. I am interested in disciplines such as Pilates but I still love dancing and didn’t want to stop! Although the industry can be brutal, I don’t feel jaded by it. When asked to assist choreographers there’s no way I’d say no. I guess growing up being encouraged to experiment means that I enjoy the process, rather than just the end result. So both…
Q. Would you recommend that young people who are interested in dance as a career consider a ‘portfolio career’ or do you think it is better to focus on one particular dance career route?
A. I think it’s important to train as much as possible with a variety of teachers/styles to be versatile, whether you want to perform in the West End, or be a commercial dancer. If you want longevity you can’t be a one trick pony. But there are many people now who say they are a dancer/ actress/ TV presenter/ DJ… I honestly don’t believe you can be really good at everything.
Q. Is the profession as hard as people say it is? I believe the last statistic of people making a living out of performing was 11% of the industry - would you say this is made clear when you are training to become a dancer?
A. Yes! At college my teachers were honest about it. You don’t ever really realise until you are out there trying to do it though.
Q. What has been the high point of your career so far?
A. Obviously the Kylie Minogue Tour was such a huge production to work on, and working with Kylie was brilliant. It was in 2010 that I was Assistant Choreographer on a Kylie show in Egypt. The Choreographer was in America so it was basically my responsibility. The show was great and the dancers performed in front of the Pyramids which were all lit up on a summer’s evening.
But rather than one specific job, it is moments that you catch yourself and think…this is amazing.
Q. Some of your work, like the Vodafone tap dance commercial that you were Assistant Choreographer on, is viewed my millions - what does it feel like to see your creative ideas become reality in such a public arena?
A. I have never really thought about the amount of people viewing it! That job was so much fun because the dancer Adrian Gas is brilliant, and also you don’t really get to tap on many jobs. The Choreographer was saying what kind of rhythms she wanted, and we were just going for it!
It’s the age of YouTube so it’s great that work gets shared around. It's inspiring but I never really think about it because it’s just about doing a good job at the time.
Q. For a young person interested in a career like yours (as a dancer or choreographer) what advice would you give them?
A. To work really really hard, and be nice to everyone! Sometimes dancers get blinded by the instant fame and ‘celebrity’, or they want to do music videos to get close to famous people. But you have to be good because an untrained dancer can be spotted a mile off.
Q. Is there anything you would warn them against?
A. Sometimes it’s just not fair and that’s hard for people to understand. A best friend of the choreographer can get the job even if they are terrible! But I do believe you can have a good career if you just keep working hard.
Q. What would you say are the three things you need to be a success both as a dancer and a choreographer?
A. Talent, dedication and good people skills.
Q. And finally, what new projects lay ahead for you?
A. I’m just about to start choreographing a theatre tour for a singer (Little Belter opens in February). Then it’s the X-Factor Tour, assisting the Creative Director Elizabeth Honan.
