Headshot Do's and Don't's

After realising the importance of CV's i began to wonder what the best things to do when having headshots done. Headshots are incredibly important and getting the right look is essential. I created a list of do's and don't to refer back to when getting new headshots done in the future.
Do’s:

·        Convey a relaxed, warm, open, honest image. – you want to appear approachable and friendly, a good first impression is vital (especially in an industry when image is everything!!)

·        Choose from at least 10 photos and narrow your choice down to the two best.- it is always better to have options as different auditions require different looks and feels for the specific jobs.

·        Look straight at the camera unless the photographer recommends an angle- a casting director wants to see all of your face, its always better to look like your picture!

·        Avoid busy patterns and lines/stripes. – these distract the attention away from your face and can make the photo look busy and messy.

·        Have a warm smile, not a laugh. For a headshot a laughing expression can look unprofessional whereas a smile looks positive and approachable.

·        Take two or three changes of clothing so you can experiment with contrasting colors- colours can look different on photos and against different backgrounds, it is always better to have choices than to be left with a photo you are not happy with due to clothing. The photographer can always give an opinion on the colours that suit you best.

·        Try to dress as you would walking down the street on a business day.

·        Bring samples of head shots you like.- if you have a specific style of headshot that you feel suits you best take an example. They are your headshots you should be happy with them.

·        Tell the photographer the image you are trying to convey.- if there is a specific look you require for different jobs let the photographer know.

·        Practice poses and expressions in front of a mirror before the shoot- get comfortable with posing as doing it for the first time in front of a stranger can be off putting.it is also good to find the look you are going for.

·        Dark clothes attract less attention and put the attention on your face and eyes.-plain black of white is best for photos, simple is best!

·        Act your age- don’t try to get your headshots to make you look older/younger than you are.you wont be doing yourself any favors and when the casting direct meets you they will be able to see your feel age.

·        Use black and white- headshots are still seen in black and white, it is prefered in the trade so is therefore the best one to have.

·        Be yourself-remember that people want to see you in a headshot, the real you! It is important as you could be perfect for a role yet not be spotted as your CV photos could look different from the real you.

Don’ts:

·        No crossed-arms. – it can distract from your face and come across as moody.

·        Don’t get a new hair cut just before the shoot. –it is important to get the shot done with a hair style that is most like the one you would have on the day. A casting director needs to be able to recognize you. It is also important that you feel comfortable in styling your hair on the day.

·        No props for headshots e.g. phones or hats.- it can distract from the photo and make it look messy and cluttered.

·        Don’t act like someone you are not. – a casting director wants to see the ‘real you’

·        Do not drink alcohol or take any drugs directly before or the night before your shoot. If possible, do not smoke cigarettes directly before your shoot- you want to look at your best on the shoot, looking tired is not good for a first impression.

·        Do not try/use any new product on your hair, face or body the day before or few days before your shoot. – it is important that your skin looks fresh, you could have a reaction to the products leaving your face in bad condition for the shoot.

·        Avoid jewelry that would distract from your face or that looks dated.

·        Don’t overdress.

·        Mind your ‘character’- be careful about having headshots taken in character. Don’t lock yourself into such a specific look that can limit you in the way of auditions and casting. You will narrow you appeal. You are much better being generic and leaving the specifics upto the imagination of the casting people

·        No photocopies-  don’t use photocopies, it looks unprofessional and cheap.

Sources Of Job Information

Sources Of Job Information.

Since graduating in summer 2010 I have attended many auditions and dance lessons, however, I have found that finding out about auditions can be challenging especially without the help of an agent. Agents usually provide opportunities that are not known to the general public. Open auditions can be challenging and extremely hard both physically and emotionally. In my opinion I have found some open auditions hard; I found it unexpected that it would be the emotionally side that I found harder than the physical side. It is frustrating have such a short time to ‘sell’ yourself to a panel of strangers and the thought of having ‘one shot’ can be daunting and hard to accept afterwards if things did not go as I expected. Having experienced many highs and lows in audition situations it has been a journey that has enabled me to become stronger not only as a person but as a dancer too. Looking back over the past few auditions I have attended, I feel I am better equipped to deal with the audition process. I also decided to put together a list of ways in which to look for job information and auditions. I did this in order to reflect on stages that I have completed and the ones I am yet to achieve

A source of information I have found surprisingly beneficial is:

·         Word of mouth-  I have found that people within the industry and who are in the same profession are incredibly useful. A large amount of jobs are not advertised (or information regarding semi-private auditions are hard to come by) and so being in contact with people who have private information is extremely important. Whilst at college I found that throughout my time there I began to understand the importance of word of mouth and communication amongst friends and work colleagues. We all shared information we had and usually attended the same auditions. In my opinion whilst sharing information is a great way of finding out about information, within the claustrophobic environment of collage it allowed individuals to become secretive and in occasional incidents it caused riffs between a tight group. It is important to know and trust the people who you share information with in my opinion as the potential for jealousy/disagreements is great. Since leaving collage I have found that making friends with people at auditions and dance lessons is a great way to share information with people with similar interests as you. It is also a less competitive/ intense environment compared to collage where you spend everyday with the same people.

·        The Internet:  

I have found that a large amount of information I get about auditions and jobs is from the internet. A website I have found beneficial has been ‘The Stage’. Although I had to pay to become a member I think it was well worth it. Not only can you get information about jobs there are also articles and useful tips and advice. A great advantage I found from this site is the fact they email you updates and auditions that match your criteria. The Stage is also a newspaper, ( available every Thursday and can be delivered) however I find the website more convenient and also some jobs are advertised on here and not in the newspaper. Below I have put together a list of websites that I find useful.

·         Dancers pro- a website that offers auditions to their members. It has a variety of auditions and people you can email, (www.dancerspro.com)

·         Dance direct – this website is primarily for dance wear yet they have a section on auditions, I have used this website a great amount of time. I have found that this website offers audition for jobs abroad and more ballet auditions than other websites. (www.dancedirect.co.uk)

·         Juice-  a section on the Place’s website offers information on up and coming auditions, primarily contemporary. (www.theplace.org.uk)

·         Dance Europe- this site again also offers a list of jobs and auditions coming up (www. www.danceeurope.net/site/jobs.)

·         The times online- offers information on entertainment jobs (www.entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)   

·         www.jobsearch.about.com – gives a list of auditions, I have only used this website on a few occasions as I feel the stage and dance direct websites are more useful to me.

·         Star now- is a website that advertised dance jobs alongside acting and promotional work, they will contact you if you are a member. In my opinion this site is less aimed at professional dancers. Many people have mixed opinions about this site as some of the jobs advertised appear to be ‘scams’(http://www.starnow.co.uk/). I have only used this website a few times and the times I have used the site is for acting/extra work.

·         www.answers4dancers.com – there is a section for jobs and auditions alongside other useful things on the site.

The sites above are all specific and related to dance and the performing industry, however I have found that Facebook (admittedly it is primarily a social networking site) has been very useful. I have joined various different groups on Facebook which post paid jobs and auditions and it allows me to keep in contact with piers dancing in different parts of the world. It is also a place to get to know other dancers and choreographers.

·         Notice boards: I have found that notice boards at various dance studios have been helpful to me. They provide a section of jobs and auditions that are happening in the near future and there are sometimes auditions that are not advertised on other sites. This can be because a place needs to be filled quickly and efficiently. There are dance boards at Dance Attic, Dance Works and Pineapple Dance studios.

Signs Of Injuries And Ways To Prevent Them.

As the weather is getting colder i always find that injuries within the dance industry occur more often. It was only when i was at Tring Park that i fully began to understand the importance of doing everything to prevent becoming injured. Once i found out and researched different things i should be doing i found that i become more aware of how the body works and ways in which i could help avoid injuries.

Prevention tips for dancers
1. Proper training and teaching are essential to allow dancers to develop their skills by taking risks in a safe environment with a good teacher at hand to offer suggestions. Don’t try and do a new lift without someone there to ‘spot’

2. Always leave enough time for rest, this time allows the body to heal itself from what a dancer has put it through during the day. (warm baths help!)

3. Eating and drinking enough of correct things will help maintain energy levels and help prevent fatigue (becoming tierd and weak) . It also help repair damaged tissues

4. The leg muscles need to be conditioned and strengthening. The muscles that help the arch in the foot also need to be rested and conditioned. Especially for people who do pointe work.

5. Try to avoid dancing on hard or uneven surfaces, which could cause injury.It is best to dance on a ‘sprung’ floor.

6. Take care of your shoes-if shoes are ill fitting it can cause the alignment of the foot to be incorrect and cause problems further up the body.

7. Dancers should try out new techniques and styles carefully as the body could not be used to a new style and could get injured easily. Remember to cool down after these new movements/techniques as the body will have been put under added pressure.

8. When the dancer is off stage it is best to wear supportive footwear, and if you need to wear specialised shoes/feet protection, wear them as often as possible.(Ugg boots are an example of bad footwear!)

9. If dancers perform excessive pointe or demi-pointe work one day, they should focus on other types of work during the next lesson.It is important to let the body recover. It will also help the dancer to improve.

10. Knowing the symptoms is important. Stop activity if pain or swelling occurs. If the pain persists after a few days rest, consult a sports-medicine physician, and remember R.I.C.E. ( rest, ice, compression, elevation.)

It was when i began to research dance and safe practice i realised the importance of the warm up and cool down.

Warming up for exercise, and why?

By warming up before exercise you increase blood flow to muscles and other soft tissues. This is extremely important especially to dancers as it helps avoid damage to ligaments, muscles and tendons, including sprains and strains –all common dance injuries.

A warm up should include cardiovascular exercises to increase your heart rate (jogging around the room) gradually and stretches to prepare muscles and increase flexibility. It is recommended that a warm up starts with approximately 5 to 10 minutes of a light cardiovascular activity - fast walking, slow jogging on the spot or skipping, (adding an upbeat songs allows the mind to become distracted and makes the time more enjoyable) However the amount of time spent on the warm up is different depending on the demands of the dance/ lesson and also the age of the performer. Also a dancer should spend more time on an injured part of their body, (when I had a back injury I always spent longer warming up my back).

A correct warm up should raise your body temperature and increase your heart rate and bring you out in a slight sweat.

Then stretches are usually done to prepare muscles in your body for things commonly done in a dance lesson (e.g. high leg extensions) Stretching should be a gentle movement. These movements should not cause pain.

Important reasons for doing a warm up.

  

• Increases body temperature. Warming up reduces the potential for muscle and connective injuries
• Increases blood flow to exercising muscles. The more blood that reaches the muscles, the easier the delivery of nutrients required for energy production
• Help promote sweating. Sweating reduces the amount of heat stored in the body. Your body spends more energy cooling itself than through any other activity.
• Enhances the speed of transmission of nerve impulses. Motor faculties improve greatly when you're warmed up.
• Increase supply of blood to the muscles, the more blood reaching the muscles, tendons and ligaments, the better the elasticity of these tissues. Which means better performance and reduced chance of injuries.
• Helps the heart and blood vessels adjust to the body's increased demands for blood and oxygen
• Release of adrenaline
• Increased heart rate
• Enables oxygen in the blood to travel with greater speed
• Increased production of synovial fluid located between the joints to reduce friction
• Allows joints to move more efficiently, essential for dancers to prevent injuries.
• Allows the dancer to become focused on the dance class/routine

The Spine

During my three years professional training I have not had many injuries, however I have had problems with my lower back on certain occasions. I felt it would be beneficial for me to research how back injuries can occur (in case I can do anything to prevent myself from getting injuries) and ways in which they can be treated. Back pains can cause severe discomfort to the person who is suffering with them and everyday activities are a struggle.

Research and information on the spine:

The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae and 110 joints. It is split into 3 sections: cervical, dorsal/thoracic, lumbar. The cervical section is made up of 7vertabrae it is the ‘neck section’ is the most mobile and is found at the top of the spine. The thoracic/dorsal section is made of 12 vertebrae, each are attached to an individual rib on each side. Below this is the lumbar section. (There is less mobility the further down the spine). Below the lumbar section is a diamond shaped sacrum which is sometimes described as ‘locking like a key stone into the pelvis’. The joints between the rest of the pelvis and either side of the sacrum are called the sacroiliac joints.

The ‘cervical vertebra’ are at the very top of the vertebral column (upper seven). The first of the cervical vertebra is the atlas, it bears the weight of the skull. The second is called the ‘axis’, it allows the rotation of the skull by letting the atlas pivot upon it. The 5 below are not given individual names; however they are called by their number (e.g. fifth cervical vertebra).

Some well known factors that contribute to low back pain include:

·                        Poor conditioning

·                        Obesity

·                        Smoking

·                        Improper use

To help strengthen my back I did different exercises including the ones below: These were given to my the physiotherapist at Arts Educational School when i had back problems.

Exercise 1:

I lay face-down on the floor with my feet extended straight behind me. I lifted my head and arched my back while supporting my upper body with my arms. Locking your elbows straight and keeping your hands by your side will accentuate the stretch, however I was advised to keep my arms bent so I did not put too much pressure on my lower back when it was sore.

Exercise 2:

To stretch the muscles that rotate your back,: I started by sitting comfortably and turning my shoulders to one direction and holding in it in this position. Sitting on an exercise ball helped me perform this stretch comfortably. However the range of movement was limited when I first started

Exercise 3:

Pelvic tilts, lie on my back with my knees at an angle towards the roof. I had to slowly raise my pelvis into a lower back curl on the floor and then lower down working threw each vertebra. It takes 8 counts to roll up and 8 to roll down. (breath out on the way down to relax the muscles)

Exercise 4:

Same exercise as exercise 3 however place therapy balls underneath the lower back, (the balls have to be close together running along the side of the spine.)

Response To Injuries.

Response to Injuries.

During training dancers can easily get injured, it is important to understand how to treat injuries and illnesses as being ‘out of dance’ means a loss of technique, stamina and flexibility. All could mean a dance career is shortened significantly.

There are different methods to treating injuries yet the technique or R.I.C.E is often used. The term R.I.C.E means rest, ice, compression, elevation.

An example of when RICE is used on sprains and muscle strains.

Here is an explanation of the R.I.C.E method of treatment for sprains and strains:

Rest:The first 24-48 hours after the injury is considered a critical treatment period and most weight baring exercises and activities ,especially dancing, should be stopped (or limited) as this could cause further damage and delay the healing process. (even if you are unsure about the extent of the injury at first it is better to follow RICE to prevent further harm or delay the healing process). Gradually use the strained/sprained part as much as is “pain free” and try to avoid any exercises that cause pain. In some case s a sling or crutch is used to help aid rest the injured body part.

Ice:For the first 48 hours after the injury has happened, it is suggested that it is best to ice the sprain or strain 20 minutes at a time every 3-4 hours. However you shouldn’t ice a sprain or strain for more than 20 minutes at a time!! This will not help to heal the injury any faster, and you can cause damage to the tissues. Ice is used as it reduces swelling as it reduces the speed and amount of blood flow to the injured area. It also causes a pain relief.

Compression:Use compression when elevating a sprain or strain in early treatment. Th area should be bandaged or strapped up in order to restrict a heavy blood flow. The wrap should be fitted, but not cutting off circulation. If your fingers or toes become cold, blue, or tingle, you have done it too tightly and need to re-wrap it. Compression helps limit the swelling and helps with the healing process.

Elevate:You should keep the sprain or strain elevated (try to get it higher than your heart if possible.) Dancers usually elevate the sprain/strain at night by placing pillows under the arm or leg. Elevating an injury also helps reduce the swelling.

Inspiring Dancers and Choreographers

There are many dancers and dance groups that I find inspirational, however, recently a group I find to be an extremely powerful and dynamic group are Dance Precisions. They are an american dance company based in California and offer dance classes for dancers aged 3 to 9 with different dancing ability. They perform in competitions and in my opinion the choreographers create dynamic pieces that suit the dancers and show off their strengths.

With Or Without You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op2N9Yob64k
Lost Love :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KanxGduAyD0&feature=related
Going Under:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg7-vC7uTe0
Home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX0IfEpfM8c&feature=fvst
I Suurender:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FqWt2E82vg
"Roxanne"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huQP96cTsQA

Shannon Mather:Choreographer.
Shannon Mathers is the choreographer of the dances seen on the links above. In my opinion she is an extremely talented choreographer, she has worked with the likes of Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez. She is currently the assistant choreographer on the television show 'So You Think You Can Dance, and is also a co-owner of the company 'Coastal Dance Rage'.

Welcome to my Blog

Hello, My name is Amy Grimshaw and I'm 20 years old. I recently graduated from Tring Park School For The Performing Arts (formally known as Arts Eduational School) in July 2010. I was on the Dance Course there for three years and had an amazing time. Im new to blogging, it's something I've never done before so please bare with me (any suggestions about things i need to do/write about would be much appreciated!).

I've been dancing since I was 3 at a local dance school and danced in the Royal Ballet School Associates from the age of 11-16, this experience allowed me to meet people with similar interests to me and get taught by professionals with amazing skills and experiences. I also took part in Hammond School Associates and Chechetti Associates which I recieved scholarships in both. I have danced in the pantomine Alladin ( at the Theatre Royal StHelens) and danced at MoveIt! in 2010 as part of the jazz group form Tring Park.

I am currently converting my Diploma in Professional Dance and look forward to hopefully progessing in the dance industry,meeting new people,broadening my dance experiences alongside teaching dance to children of different ages and abilities. x