In the Spotlight is our regular feature where we meet current students from Performers College. This week we meet Billie Rose Cooke, a third-year BA Musical Theatre and Dance student from our Birmingham campus.
What inspired you to train in Musical Theatre & Dance?
Growing up I tried every sport under the sun but there was nothing I felt truly passionate about. One of my drama teachers in Secondary School opened her own little Dance School in my town and she said I should come along – so I did, I loved every minute of my first class and ever since then, even at 14, I knew that this was going to stick. I moved to another Dance School where I started to take dance more seriously, training in different styles. A class mate and my dance teacher introduced me to a Pre-vocational Dance School, Bath Dance College, where I auditioned and started training in a professionally. If it wasn’t for all of my teachers I had the wonderful opportunity of working with, I would never be where I am today.
Why did you choose Performers College Birmingham?
I chose to further my training at Performers Birmingham because after walking into the building for my audition, I could feel that this was the right place for me. It was vibrant, the studios were gorgeous and the campus was in a lively area of Birmingham. Out of all of my auditions Performers was my favourite due to the incredible faculty, the welcoming and supportive atmosphere and the audition combinations themselves. The style and course structure that Performers provides was what I had been looking for, for my training, and knew it was going to push me physically and mentally whilst also being surrounded by a great team. It was an easy choice and I’ll forever be thankful I got the opportunity to train here.
What’s your personal highlight of your time at Performers College so far?
The highlight of my training so far has got to be our second-year end of year show Synergy. We got the opportunity to work with many incredible creatives who formed some amazing pieces which were challenging, but so much fun. The show overall was amazing and a very moving experience. I was very lucky and forever grateful to be a featured dancer in this show. Our creative director Adam Scown made this opportunity possible and working with him was inspiring due to his supportiveness, creativity and the positive atmosphere he created throughout rehearsals. I love this career because I love to perform and be on stage, so doing shows and being able to dance and sing surrounded by people who love it just as much as me is the best feeling.
Where do you hope your career takes you in the future?
I love performing and creating more than anything, so having the opportunity to do so in whatever form would feel like success to me. I would love to perform on cruises, as travelling is an aspect I am also interested in. I hope to tour with dance companies, creating dance shows to celebrate dance as an art form and if I could end up working in Grease, Mamma Mia, Jesus Christ Superstar or Hairspray I would never stop smiling! Dance captain, associate choreographer and choreographer are job roles I would like to progress to in the future as well.
What advice would you give to someone applying to Performers College?
Be certain that this career is what you want to do, what you love and that there is nothing else you could think of yourself doing. Training can be tough, and even though you’ll be in great hands at Performers, it comes with a lot of hard work and dedication. I knew this was what I wanted to do, and was sure I wanted to do it as a career and not just a hobby – you need that dedication to succeed. Go for what you want to do, fulfil your dreams and be certain in yourself.
What else have you been working on?
A past project that I am super proud of was my concept video for my second year choreography module. This chosen module gave us the freedom to create and 2-4 minute piece about any concept we wanted. I created a contemporary dance video with the title of Voilà and I got to work with two of my very talented friends to create a piece about imagining you are dancing with someone who is not actually there. We filmed in this beautiful hall in Digbeth and I then submitted it to be marked. I was also able to post this video onto my social media to aid my choreography profile for the future. I love that Performers offers this module as it is great way for students who love to choreograph to develop that extra skill, and still count towards our degree.
To discover more about Performers College, including auditions and how to apply, contact us at [email protected] or book an Open Day on our Events page.
