Friday 2 May 2014

Dance and Academia

*WARNING* this post is going to be pretty honest so those that don't wanna read about my life stop here, those that do feel free to carry on and enjoy the musings of a petite lady


Today an issue was fully brought to my attention, not that it hasn't crossed my mind before but not as in full focus as today. That issue is that I have a passion for dance as well as wanting to be taken seriously as an academic woman. You may be thinking you dance so what? Many women do that. but when I tell you it is pole dance then some will have a dramatically different view and this is what I am scared of. I think the reputation of pole dance is getting better as it gets more widely accepted and there are now professional competitions and gradings so it can be viewed more clearly as a sport and seen for how demanding it is and not just a prop used by strippers. I myself have done three solo performances and taken part in a competition as well as group routines in two showcases and definitely do not class myself as a stripper but as a strong, confident lady. Through pole dance I have met some of the most amazing, wonderful and strong women I have ever known, their fierceness has brought me out of my shell and made me more confident (honestly I was so shy and the person you would least expect to do anything like this, people still get shocked sometimes when I tell them)it could be said confident enough to even think about pursuing a PhD and career. I am very open and honest about it, if someone asks I will answer is my policy on this subject. I don't and never will regret taking up pole dancing but I am starting to think about the possible impact it may have on my reputation and whether I will be taken seriously. All the pictures below are of me, the 1st is from my 1st performance and the other two are from training


I really do hope that to most this will seem like of course she should not be treated differently but I'm not so sure everyone will hold this view. As much as I love pole dance I don't want it to get in the way of my love of science and pursuing a career in academia.

I know this is controversial but I would love to hear peoples views on the subject

Tuesday 18 March 2014

PubHD talk

After 6 months or so doing my PhD I am preparing to give my first talk about the research I am undertaking and its purpose within the literature in the field thus far. Nervous and excited would be a good way to describe how I am feeling currently. Talking for 10 minutes then fielding questions from a crowd in a pub (The Vat and Fiddle in Nottingham, if anyone is interested)armed with just a whiteboard, pens and whatever remains in my head when I get up there. As much as I love performing in front of a crowd this is a whole other ball game and totally new to me so I just hope I can do a good job and not make any glaring errors. At least it is not just me, there are two other PhD students giving talks as part of a PubHD event. If anyone wants to know more about PubHD follow the link: http://pubhd.wordpress.com/

I think this talk has come at the right time as the PhD work seems to be picking up and the direction I want to take is becoming clearer. I have already got some good results :)

This is all making me reflect on my progress so far and I am pleased with how far I have come and feel ready to take the step into finally doing an academic talk (albeit in a pub, but hey I have to have some sort of comfort), something I would never have thought possible or dreamed of a year or so ago after returning from a summer in America.


Anyway back to script writing and finalising ready for the talk tomorrow....