Dec

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Above the clouds with Maeve Foley

Since graduating in 2014, Maeve Foley has worked as a stunt double in an American TV series until 2017. She’s performed with Dido Entertainment, The London Cheerleaders, This Morning ITV, the KayKay Agency, Waterloo Film Studios; in two Bollywood movies and music videos; and had multiple dance jobs, working in locations such as Cyprus, London, Beirut & Lebanon. Maeve is represented by Skins Agency and recently got onto the books for Disneyland Paris as a character look-alike and a parade dancer.

We had a chance to have a quick Q&A with Maeve where she updated us on how life has been since graduating from DFA college.

Where were your first dance performance jobs after graduating?

I was very lucky to get a job with The London Cheerleaders quite quickly after graduating and since then I’ve worked with them many times when I have gone back to live in London. They’re an amazing team and we get some really fun jobs – I love being there.

Were you nervous before you left home and going abroad for the first time?

The first time I left home was when I was 18 and moved from Ireland to Scotland to study at Dance For All. I was excited and, of course, nervous too. But if I hadn’t taken that first step, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today.

My first time going abroad for work, I was lucky because some of the girls in the year above me at Dance For All had been on the same contract and were able to give me advice and their views on the contract.

Since then I’ve had many dancers find me on companies’ pages and contact me through Facebook, lots who I don’t know, to ask me about contracts I have worked on and if I would recommend the company. I think this is a great thing to do if you are considering working for a company you don’t know much about. We need to help each other out.

DFA 2014 graduate Mave Foley

What were your highlights during that time?

My highlights from my first job in Cyprus are the amazing friends I made, the fact that we got to do 14 shows a week, performing my aerial dance solo on the silks, the showgirl costumes, the adventures we went on when we had days off and the amazing tan that I came home with.

How did you feel when that first contract ended?

When my first contract ended I was definitely sad and going to miss everyone and performing so much but I was excited for what was yet to come. I actually left this job and had one day at home and to dye my hair as I started a new job the next day that I needed brown hair for! I still keep in touch with some of the girls from this job and we meet in London to go to classes together.

You’ve recently wrapped up the summer season in Beirut. What was it like there?

We worked at Discoteck/Garten, Raw and Solem every week and then some other events also. I absolutely loved Beirut. The events we worked at were amazing! I love to travel, especially in sunny countries.

How did it feel when you heard the news your audition was successful?

I was so happy, it all happened so fast. I had just finished working 9 months on season 4 of an American TV show. A lot of people had other jobs lined up after and were starting straight away, I had nothing, but was staying hopeful.

I went to the wrap party, packed all my bags the next day and got a flight back to Ireland to spend some time with family. Just as I arrived at the airport I got a message saying that I had been selected for the job in Beirut. I was delighted, and about 5 days later I was on another plane out to the Middle East!

Have you had time to see much of Lebanon or travel to places nearby in your free time?

This contract was pretty amazing. We worked around 4 jobs a week, sometimes more sometimes less, which were mostly in the evenings and we had 2 or 3 day time rehearsals a week so we had plenty of time to explore Lebanon. The went to the beaches, Beka valley, to see the ancient ruins in Baalbek and lots more! Beirut is known as the party capital of the Middle East so it is a very lively and fun city.

Do you have a favourite project/job so far in your career?

I have loved every job I have done so far, there has not been any that I regret but there have been 2 jobs that I have been working on and off on for the last 5 years so they would have to be my favourite as I have made some really great friends at them.

The American TV series, which is filmed mostly in Scotland, is the first one. I have so much love for my “family” there and I love going back to Scotland. It has been an amazing opportunity for me and I have learnt so much from it.

The second is the London Cheerleaders. We have an amazing manager and an amazing team of girls which just makes working with them so enjoyable. I am always delighted when I get to work with them.

Any audition tips for new graduates?

For new graduates going into auditions I would just say:

Make sure you are always prepared to avoid stress and so you can give it your best
Make sure you have a few headshots and CVs printed off in case you hear about an audition the next day
Bring all your different dance shoes just in case
Turn up early so you have time to prepare

Remember they are looking for a dancer that suits their company but you are also looking for a company that suits you.

Be confident and don’t be afraid to ask questions to be sure you are happy with all the details before signing a contract.

These are also great tips for dance college auditions – get more audition tips for budding professional dancers.

What other places have you travelled to so far? And where would you love to go?

I worked on a job in Portugal for Milkshake – the choreographer for this job was Jennifer Foulds, an amazingly talented dancer who was in my year at Dance For All. Robert Wilson, another super talented dancer from my year at DFA, did this job too which made it extra fun!

I have just come back from Asia but I would love to go back and work in Japan or Korea. I also really want to go to France so I will be on the lookout for jobs there!

What are your future plans? Any opportunities coming up that you can share?

At the moment I am staying in London working with the London Cheerleaders and also going to auditions. I still want to concentrate on performing but sometimes cover classes. I want to travel and perform for now and then will get into teaching/choreographing more in the future.

DFA Graduate Feedback

Image by Ralph McKeon Photography

How did our dance college course help prepare you for your dance career?

I learnt a lot about my body and technique over the 3 years. It made me into a much stronger dancer. I really admire all Tracy and the team there does. And the workshops and mock auditions were so good to prepare us.

What did you love most about your 3-year dance college training?

I loved that we did such a variety of styles. To have a knowledge of them all has really helped in different auditions and different shows. And, being away from home for the first time, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teachers at Dance For All.

If you were to recommend us to your best friend, what would you say?

I’d say DFA is an amazing college. You get a lot of attention because the classes are small and you get your teaching qualifications along with your performance which you don’t get everywhere.

We specialise in professional dance training. Find out more about our professional dance performance and teacher training course.

Is there anything we could do differently?

I think you are doing amazing! I saw you were doing aerial classes which is great, it is becoming really popular and they are asking for it a lot on jobs now. Read more graduate success stories.

Want to hire Maeve &/or our graduates? Contact us to let us know.