In any industry it is so important to know where you can find reliable information to help further your career. In this task I have been looking at the sources that I use to gain knowledge on the entertainment industry, dance diet and fitness, auditions etc.
The main and most widely source is ofcorse the internet. I use it to find out about auditions
www.thestage.co.uk
www.spotlight.co.uk
www.dancerspro.co.uk
www.dancecast.co.uk
All of these websites are well known, but not all of them post jobs that are of equity pay. I am a member of equity and this is also another source of information. I regularly recieve magazines from equity with information on dealing with taxes, being self employed etc as well as interviews with professionals and advice on all aspects of the industry. I am not good at keeping hold of the information I find most useful, However after reading Pip Spaltons Blog pipspalton.blogspot.co.uk she talks about keeping everything in a ring binder. I think this is a great idea to keep organised and find information quickly without having to route around in the bottom drawer of my desk!
I wouldnt say I read a huge amount of books but there are a few that have provided me with invaluable advice. Firstly Linda Hamiltons Advice for Dancers, is written in a simple format but gets straight to the point regarding all sorts of issues that occur in the dance world. I also find Robin D Chmelar and Sally S Fitts's Diet for dancers a great starting point for performers who struggle with their diet. Again I do not log any of this information, I do feel like I should find some key points in each of those books so that I can recall information I need as quick as possible.
Other sources of information I use is ofcorse the people I meet, everyone that I have met within the entertainment industry have some advice they are itching to share, sometimes I disagree with what people inform me with, but there are other times when people share some invaluable advice and I think I should write that down, and I never do! So from now on I think I'm going to start a mini journal consisting of what people share with me (only the bits I find helpful though!). My agent is also brilliant at letting me know what is changing in the performing world and how I need to adapt to make sure I am fitting in.
A slightly unreliable source I use is Facebook, there are lots of castings that go up on different entertainment pages but not all are genuine, so knowing who to trust is a big factor of using a social networking site as a source to find auditions etc.
Finally, when I was living in London, I was regularly going to see different shows, the opinions myself and my friends made of each show would be another source of information. Critiquing the shows helped me to see what I needed to do to get to where I want to be, unfortunately now working so far away from any theatres has meant that I havent been able to go to the theatre in quite a while. However there are lots of clips on www.youtube.co.uk that enable me to watch others perform and learn from them.
In terms of sourcing the information I gain, I would say I'm only good at separating my emails, I have a different folder with all my agents emails in so I can access them quickly. I need to start keeping the magazine clippings that I find useful and also keeping a journal of peoples advice. Looking at other peoples blogs they seem to be similar to my own sources especially regarding the internet.
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