Meet the Mentor: Georgia Poole
Community Dance Artist
What made you want to go into your career path?
Dancing is all I’ve ever known. My family joke that I was dancing before I was walking! It has been engrained into my life and I grew up wondering why everyone else didn’t dance, as it brought me so much joy. I am also very passionate about creativity, I believe everyone has the potential to be creative and I think that should be celebrated. I used to dream of being on stage at the Royal Opera House, but as I grew older and learnt more about education, I quickly realised my new dream would be to sit in the audience and watch a student of mine perform and say with confidence “I taught them”.
Did you always think you’d go into this career? How does it compare to how you thought it would be?
I was never sure what my career would consist of, I just knew and held onto what I was passionate about. My school timetable consisted of a real mixture; English, business, art, graphics design and dance. There were days when I was most excited for a day of dancing, but then days where I thoroughly enjoyed creating and designing fonts, and pieces of art in graphics design. I remember feeling torn between 2 subjects that I loved, and the pressure of deciding what university course to apply for was fast approaching. I stuck with what my 3-year-old self would have been rooting for and that was a degree in Ballet Education, but I was determined during my studying to make it my own. By that I mean, pushing artistic boundaries, and using skills I had developed in school exploring graphics design and art to their best advantage, resulting in my own personal stamp on what I felt dance was. Art!
How was life at school?
I was very lucky to go to a school locally to me in Kent, which was a performing arts school. The staff and teachers there welcomed students with a thirst for creativity with open arms. They had a big theatre, and huge dance studios, where as you can imagine I spent the majority of my time. However, I was tested when it came to my GCSE’S. I struggled to grasp the concept of maths, and science. I remember taking my maths GCSE 3 times before I could pass it, and on days where I felt frustrated even after revising so often, I would let off steam in the dance studio or in the art room with a scrapbook and fine liner or some very loud dance music. I learnt that you can’t be great at everything and the power is finding what makes you happy, doing your best and leaning on your teachers to support your education. They know you better than you think!
How did you get into you career?
The impact I can make to students lives. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student achieve. I believe that everyone’s achievements should be celebrated and recognised, whether that’s finishing a book you’ve been reading,
Learning a new dance move, taking a first step, talking about your passions, there is no limit to what you should celebrate. Every individual has their own story, and own goals, no 2 students are the same and that’s what I love most about my job, quickly adapting to meet your student’s needs and ensuring they’re gaining the most out of their education. If my students are happy, so am I!
What are your ambitions?
I have too many! The list would be far too long, but I aspire to complete a masters in choreography. This is something I am determined to achieve; I feel the dance industry has more to give when it comes to creativity and inclusivity and I would love to contribute to this through more years of studying and research. I would also love to work in higher education, educating a new generation of teachers to inspire a new generation of students.
Tell us a fun story
Recently, whilst teaching on zoom one of my students told me I looked like Cinderella! I have no idea where this came from, but it has now become an ongoing joke, and of course I milk it and use the tiara filter on zoom. Laughing with my students on zoom is my most recent funny memory, they have bought laughter and light to this year for sure.