Students to take stage in first pro dance jobs

Two first-year University of Worcester students have secured their first professional dance jobs in a showcase for up and coming artists.

Maisey Tromans, 19, from Dudley, and Ruby Brown, 18, from Solihull, are doing a dance and performance degree, and will co-produce and perform a duet called Echo in the Shadows at the city's Swan Theatre in February.

It comes after the theatre invited students to create a piece that reflected the history of dance at the venue, and commissioned theirs.

"I'm still shocked, but extremely elated," said Tromans, who started dancing when she was three. "This is such an amazing opportunity and a huge step in achieving my end goal of being a choreographer."

She previously studied performing arts at Birmingham Ormiston Academy and has attended KLM School of Dance in Dudley for the past four years, starting out as a student before becoming a qualified teacher.

In 2024, she was one of 100 dancers chosen for the English Youth Ballet's production of Giselle.

"For me there's no better feeling than seeing what started out as a small initial idea being made better than you ever thought possible by those who perform your own work," she said.

Brown has been dancing since she was eight and said lyrical and contemporary were her strengths.

"I feel very happy about being commissioned for this piece as it's such a wonderful opportunity," she said.

"This will help me in the future, as I want to be a teacher in dance, which means that coming up with choreography will be needed for the end goals.

"Doing this has really boosted my confidence and motivation to really go for it."

Dr Paul Golz, senior lecturer for dance and performance at the university, said: "Opportunities like this are rare and highly competitive, so for our students to achieve this commission so early in their time with us at Worcester is an incredible testament to their creativity, hard work, and professionalism."

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