Full-time graduate story: Alice Dixon

Studied: National Theatre Ballet School; Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Creation (Choreography) at the Victorian College of Arts in 2013. I also have a science degree from the University of Melbourne

Presently: contemporary dancer/choreographer/performance-maker.

What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies?

I met wonderful people during my postgraduate studies at the VCA who have become creative colleagues and probably life-long friends.

With fewer than usual auditions and performance opportunities at present, have you found other outlets for your talents or artistic expression?

I think it's great to have a wide range of creative interests regardless of whether or not you’re working and performing as a dancer. If you're a freelancer there are always going to be times when you’re not working and you’re wondering when/if the next job is going to come along.

During the numerous lockdowns of 2020 I was quite heavily involved with ‘Think Tank Dance Assembly’ (ttda), an advocacy network for the independent dance sector. Check out https://www.damnwriting.com/ for a lot of great articles and writings produced by members of the dance community.

I created a dance work on the 2nd year VCA dance students over Zoom which at the time I thought would be totally impossible but which actually turned out to be quite an interesting process.

To keep sane during the long lockdown over winter last year I got into gardening, went on lots of bike rides, did some painting and drawing when I felt like it and started swimming in the ocean (with wetsuit!)

So far this year I’ve been fortunate to have been working fairly consistently on a few different dance projects.

Photo above is by Jeff Busby.

The 2022 Full-Time Studies Guide is nearly ready, and is chockers with interviews with students or former students talking directly about their experience. Look out for the Sep/Oct/Nov issue - OUT SOON - or subscribe and never miss an issue.