Discover your voice on BRB's Creative Pathways

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to apply for the Creative Pathways Programme.

I’m Oona. I’m 18 and in my last year of school, doing my A levels. I came to apply because my friend, who’s really into ballet was on the website and saw the Creative Pathways Programme, suggested I might be interested. And I thought, actually, that looks amazing! I’m definitely going to apply for that! That was really lucky because otherwise I wouldn’t have known about it.

What were your first impressions of Birmingham Royal Ballet?

That everyone’s really friendly. They’re proud of their work because when we went around to visit different departments they were always happy to show us around; proud of their part in the Company and how they all worked together to put on a show.

What have you been working on, and how has it been having behind-the-scenes access?

Becoming part of everything. I’ve been able to see so many different things and have had the opportunity to meet a lot of people. So I feel like I’m part of the Company.

Another favourite moment has been meeting a lot of different people on the programme, who are interested in creativity, that I might not have met otherwise. My school is very academic so it’s nice to have the opportunity to meet like-minded people, interested in creative pursuits.

And in terms of my individual training, I really liked working on a big outdoor photoshoot a couple of weeks ago. It was really cool to see. And being part of filming the behind-the-scenes for it, being the envy of everyone walking past wondering what we were doing! It made me feel proud to be working on something so cool!

Had you done any photography/filming before?

I’m pretty into filming and photography. I’ve made a few of my own short films in the past for projects. It was interesting to do something in a professional setting rather than just as a hobby.

What have you learned that you didn’t expect? How has it changed how you see ballet?

I feel like a lot of people view ballet as quite elitist. But I think it was interesting to discover that BRB has so many different outreach projects and plays a bigger part in the local community than I thought. It was interesting to find out a bit more about the funding side – how difficult it is to be a large creative organisation and all the different sources of funding.

What skills have you gained or developed since starting Creative Pathways?

A lot of skills! In terms of soft skills, communication has been big for me. Now I’m definitely better equipped to manage communications with a variety of people in person but also on email in a professional setting. I felt quite nervous at the start of the programme, but now I feel more confident. Organising something over email with different people is just normal now!

And I’ve learned a lot on my individual training. I’ve been using cameras, tripods, and gimbals. I really like using the gimbals. I learned a bit about lighting and got the opportunity to use a reflector in the photoshoot and that was really cool.

What would you say to someone who was thinking of applying?

I would say they should definitely apply!

It’s just such an amazing opportunity to get to know like-minded people in the group, but also people at all different stages of their careers and to hear from them about their experiences. It broadens your horizons to what you could see yourself doing in the future.

And you get the chance to work on something you really enjoy in the department, that you pick yourself – which is cool. Seeing how creativity works in a professional setting is a great opportunity that more people should have. I didn’t think I would get accepted, but here I am!