BASE Podcast

Is the Casting System in the Commercial Industry Broken?

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @lilihidge_x, @erinjardine1 and @daxocallaghan

It's been a while but we are back! We wanted to have a discussion on the state of the dance industry and particularly the casting system within the Commercial industry so invited @lilihodge_x and @erinjardine1 of @dancersnetworkuk on to speak with us. These 2 along with the team at DN have worked and fought for better treatment and rates of pay for dancers as well as being very successful performers in their own careers too. Joining on the pod is one of the co-owners of Base Studios, @daxocallaghan. Dax has been part of the entertainment industry for many years now and has seen it from multiple viewpoints as a performer, recording artist, choreographer and creative director. It's also a nice way to mark Base's 4th birthday as we hear about what it was like founding a studio and facing the challenges of the pandemic. We originally planned a conversation off the back of the Superbowl controversy in the USA knowing that there are identical issues here with big sporting events. However it turned more into an exploration of the contrasts between the TV, Film and Theatre casting processes and the Commercial industry process and the big differences between them. We look at the structures and the potential conflicts of interest and talk about changes that could and probably should be made. We speak about the Sole Representation model and how that would most likely be more beneficial for dancers and lead to more auditions. And we talk about the need for a structural and cultural reset when it comes to the commercial industry. All this and the conversation could have continued for far longer! This is definitely a topic worth revisiting but hopefully there is some good information being shared and it sparks further conversations and eventual change for the better🤞

@basedancestudios

2021 MTV EMA's Audition - Choreographers' Feedback

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @sharon.june and @niles82

Not sure a podcast of this nature has been done before within the dance community in giving feedback to dancers which many would be eager to hear after an audition of such importance.

In this episode of the BASE Podcast @mrjgraham is joined by Sharon June @sharon.june and Shaun Niles @niles82 to talk through their experience teaching the choreography at the recent audition for the MTV Europe Music Awards to be held in Budapest next month. Normally one of the biggest auditions of the year, it has extra significance being the first large-scale audition since COVID impacted the industry. This year they saw over 1,000 dancers over the course of 2 days. So we thought it would be great to hear from 2 of the team on the other side of the table to get their takeaways and critiques in the hope that dancers can gain some insight into how to audition more effectively and increase their chances of getting booked. Shaun choreographed the audition routine assisted by Sharon and we hear what they thought auditionees did well and areas where they could look to improve to show they're ready to work at this level. We talk through the differences between a class scenario and an audition one and what this means for how dancers should apply and conduct themselves. Lastly we round the conversation off with some tips to help prepare for the intensity of auditions of this scale and the work environment itself too. Big thanks to Sharon and Shaun. Its rare to get feedback after an audition and we hope this is helpful in getting people closer to where they wanna be.

@basedancestudios

Motherhood and Dance

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @patiencegop, @nikkitrow and @miss.muldoon

In this episode @mrjgraham speaks with @patiencegop, @nikkitrow and @miss.muldoon about being mothers in the dance industry. We explore the idea of there being a stigma around the notion of motherhood within dance and what it means for a dancer physically, mentally as well as professionally. Our guests talk us through their experiences from the early stages of pregnancy to the post birth return to work and the challenges they faced. We hear about changes they would like to see made, particularly in people's attitudes towards mothers in the professional dance world. A big thanks to our 3 guests for sharing so much of their own experiences and as with all our topics there is always more to be said but hopefully this gets the conversation moving forwards.

@basedancestudios

Class Culture with Emer Walsh, Sisco Gomez and Shaun Niles

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @_emerwalsh, @siscogomez and @niles82

@mrjgraham speaks with @_emerwalsh, @siscogomez and @niles82 as they talk us through their takes on dance class culture today. All are highly accomplished and decorated dancers having worked with artists such as Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys and countless others. Between them they have choreographed for X Factor, The Voice, the MTV Europe Music Awards, tours, music videos and even shows on the West End. But amidst all those professional achievements they have been educators since the early 2000's and have seen wave after wave of dancers in both class and industry settings. They have taught continuously through the evolution of the past 16 years. We discuss changes that they have seen and felt in terms of technology, mindset and attitude. We hear about their experiences and what classes in the studio meant to them both as students and teachers. Now that we are back in the studio its a good time to release it (we recorded this in January as part of our original class culture series) as 3 guests with so much knowledge and experience bring a huge deal of insight and perspective to the conversation. Enjoy!

@basedancestudios

Heels Class Discussion

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @haleymonaghan, @lisaspencer_official and @sharon.june

In this episode @mrjgraham is joined by @haleymonaghan, @lisaspencer_official and @sharon.june to talk about their take on heels classes. These three powerhouse women have been performing, teaching and choreographing at the highest levels of the industry through the last decade. They've all taught heels technique or heels performance classes at @basedancestudios so we wanted to have a chat about the growth of the heels class genre. We hear about their journeys to becoming heels class teachers. We discuss about what makes a good heels class in their opinions. We talk about their inspirations and influences within the heels realm and hear their likes & dislikes when it comes to heels classes. We also manage to tack on a throwback to our previous series and hear how they all got their breaks into the industry which was really interesting, as they didn't know each other's "origin" stories in detail and we get to see & hear their reactions in real time.

@basedancestudios

Deaf Experiences in Dance

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @deaf_dancer, @tashaghouri and @josephjfletcher

This week is Deaf Awareness Week and to mark it @mrjgraham speaks with @deaf_dancer (Melissa Brill), @tashaghouri and @josephjfletcher about their experiences within the dance industry and community. First up we get an introduction to each guest and hear a little about their background. We then talk about their dance education and the level and type of support that was there (or not there as the case was at times). We hear each guests' journey on their perspective on their deafness and how big an impact that has had on the way they think about it. The realisation that this is your superpower and how empowering that can be. We talk about what it's like at classes and auditions, the extra challenges hard of hearing people face and the feeling that you have to convince potential employers out of any additional doubts they will have about you. We hear examples of some bad experiences at auditions where the level of understanding was not there on the organiser's part despite being made aware of the situation ahead of time. This leads us to talking about suggestions of changes that could be made for the better to cater for everyone in the room both in auditions and classes. This is an area the dance industry and community has to do better in. A big thank you to our 3 guests.

Please note we interchange the terms deaf, hearing impaired and hard of hearing throughout the podcast. 

@basedancestudios

Representation and Race

Host: @mrjgraham

Guests: @kels_sn, @leahhill_dancer and @randallwatson_ 

In this episode of the @base_pod, @mrjgraham is joined by @kels_sn, @leahhill_dancer and @randallwatson_  to talk about representation in dance through the lens of being Black in the dance world. From early experiences of seeing themselves represented on stage and screen (or not represented as was the case at times) to role models that could be looked up to and whose success they could hope to emulate. We talk about their experiences within dance education and initial steps into the industry, whether tokenism in casting has been prevalent during their careers, the differences between the Commercial and MT world in regards to race and even the differences between the London and LA dance scenes. We hear about the unfortunate negative experiences there have been in work situations and we talk about solutions for them. We talk about changes that have happened during the course of their careers and what they each hope will continue to change. This is just an opening conversation into a hugely important and broad-ranging topic. We will continue the conversation and want to thank our 3 guests for taking the time to discuss with us.

@basedancestudios

House of Androgyny

Host: John Graham

Guests: @dalekcreative @callumsterling @jordana_rev

In this episode of the @base_pod @mrjgraham talks with some of the team and talent from the agency House of Androgyny, @wearehoa. We speak with agency founder and @basedancestudios teacher @dalekcreative and their partner @callumsterling as well as @jordana_rev who shares her story of being a transgender performer in the industry in Australia, Hong Kong and London. We touch on many topics from the importance of pronouns to how artists are represented by their agents and how much an agency understands and knows their artists and how to advocate for them. We discuss how LGBTQIA+ culture is represented on screen and hear personal experiences our guests have all been through in the industry and the performing arts education system. This is an opening conversation into representation within the dance community and industry as we begin to look at how people feel represented by what they see on screen and stage, in the positions of power in the industry and even how or whether they feel understood and taken care of by the agents who get paid to represent them. The conversation flew by and before we knew it we were nearly 2 hours in. There is much more left to discuss and share but we hope you enjoy and a big thank you to our 3 guests for sharing so much of their own experiences.

@basedancestudios

Foot In The Door

Host: John Graham

Guest: Ryan Lee-Seager

For our final installment of the current 'foot in the door' series @mrjgraham speaks with @ryanleeseager about his career. We hear about how Center Stage ignited his love for dance at the age of 15. We talk through his training at SLP and London Studio Centre. We hear about a detour to compete on the X Factor and its aftermath and how a chance meeting at London Pride led to him returning to complete his degree. He talks about choosing the right MT agent that would allow him to keep his commercial agents so he didn't have to limit himself. We speak about his love for choreography and how posting his material helped him get opportunities and gain recognition for it at an early stage leading to him being appointed Dance Captain on the first big show he booked. From there it was a whirlwind of success - Ryan's career went from strength to strength as he booked show after show in a variety of roles. His acting side came to the fore in Blood Brothers when he lived out a childhood dream of playing the lead. He then began working as an associate choreographer for multiple shows and we hear about how he took to the new role and the challenges it presented. From dancer to swing to undertsudying/playing lead roles to associate choreographer to associate director, Ryan's experience in the MT world is vast and varied. He shares some advice he would give his younger self and we finish up with a story about a job we both did for Justin Bieber many years ago.

@basedancestudios

Foot In The Door

Host: John Graham

Guests: Michael Naylor & Collette Guitart

Next up on @base_pod we have a double whammy with @colletteguitart and @michaelnaylor53 speaking to @mrjgraham about how they got their breaks into multiple aspects of the industry. From touring with Musicals to touring with the Spice Girls. From Hip Hop Theatre to Netflix movies to appearing on the West End, this episode has it all. We hear about long term absences from dance through injury. We hear about missing out on dream jobs at the last round of auditions and what it meant to Collette and Michael when they both managed to book those dream jobs. We get an insight into the challenge of being an on-stage swing. We discuss auditions and the human element of casting you just can't get via social media and much more. A really enjoyable and informative conversation with two great people.

@basedancestudios