Joey has been dancing since he was ten years old, when he started learning freestyle disco and contemporary dance.
He attended a dance club outside of school, but chose not to study the subject at GCSE because he was often bullied for his interests.
After completing his GCSEs Joey went to Totton College for a year to study Performing Arts, but quickly decided he wanted to focus solely on dance. He then transferred to Eastleigh College, and is now in his final year of Level 3 Dance.
After completing the course, Joey plans to take a year out before going to study Dance at University. His aim is to become either a dance teacher or a choreographer, and he’s hoping Uni will help him decide which!
Joey found College to be different from school – he’s not bullied, and the people on his course are like a family to him. His favourite part of the course is performing on stage, which is quite different from performing in front of mirrors. His classes often start with a warm-up, with skills practice and then into learning choreography.
There is also theory involved, from dance history to dance appreciation and writing evaluations on performances. He says, “You need to make sure you meet deadlines otherwise everyone else gets behind. You also need to try hard in rehearsals to make sure you correct any mistakes.”
Joey still attends his dance school in addition to College, and has found his studies have hugely helped improve his technique and his confidence, which means he’s getting better results at the competitions he attends!
At college, nobody cares that you’re a boy who dances. You can be yourself – if every other boy is doing street dance and you want to do ballet, that’s OK.
College is a great opportunity to start fresh and get stuck in with something you’re really interested in. Eastleigh College is an environment which will encourage you to pursue your interests and push you to be the best you can at what you do.
To find out more about the Dance course, please visit the course page, or call one of our friendly Information, Advice and Guidance team on 023 8091 1299.
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