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Charlotte Potts

Charlotte Potts has recently finished her BA (Hons) in Dance Performance at City College Plymouth.

While studying for her A Levels, Charlotte already had in mind that she wanted to go on to study a dance degree and she successfully applied and auditioned for another university. On joining her course, however, she soon realised that this wasn’t for her and she started to explore other potential avenues, including giving up dance altogether. 

Charlotte said: “I was close to breaking away from dance, but then I was told about the Level 4 Higher National Certificate at City College and decided to give it a try. I then went on to study the Higher National Diploma and this year I finished with the BA (Hons) Dance Performance top-up year.

“I have honestly loved every minute of it and have learnt so much. There is a big focus on practical learning; I spent the majority of my time dancing and working in the studio space through regular technique classes, workshops and choreographic sessions. 

“We trained our technique in ballet, jazz and contemporary on a weekly basis. These technique sessions allowed me to develop in both a practical and theoretical sense through corrections, feedback and the teaching of terminology.” 

Charlotte said she was particularly fond of being given so many opportunities to learn from industry professionals, such as Lukas McFarlane, Dickson and Ariel Born to name just a few. 

“These workshop opportunities have enabled me to learn about the professional dance industry and the expectations that run alongside it, giving me an even better insight into a potential career path,” Charlotte explained. “We are able to learn from practitioners who are working in the industry right now and that is probably one of the biggest plus points to studying at City College Plymouth. 

“The wide range of modules that I have studied has enabled me to gain knowledge in varying fields, whether that is through creating a professional portfolio or researching a chosen topic.”

Over the past few years, Charlotte has been involved with organising workshops and dance events, and was also part of a school-based tour. She was also able to attend the Move It dance convention in London, in addition to regular trips to the theatre, which she says have really boosted her aspirations. 

Charlotte said: “The support that I have received throughout my degree has been absolutely amazing. Whenever I had any queries or problems, both of my tutors were on hand to help and were easily contactable. They want nothing more than for you to succeed and they always try to push you to achieve your best.

“I feel very ready to start pursuing the next stage of my career and I am so excited to start my new course in September. I have chosen to pursue teaching dance and I am starting my PGCE in dance very soon. Without a doubt, I would recommend this course to anyone because you are given access to amazing opportunities and can really build the foundations and skills for your future career path.”