Monday 4 January 2010, The Place
On a bright January morning at the start of term, staff from all the affiliates came together for Illuminate, the Conservatoire’s third staff conference. Conservatoire Governor Andrew Summers and Joint Principals Veronica Lewis and Edward Kemp welcomed a mixture of teaching, management and admin staff to The Place, home to LCDS.
Illuminate aimed to shine a light on the collective work of the schools and the Conservatoire. With so many individuals all with enthusiasm and passion for their profession all in one place, the usual buzz created by the collective energy was evident. Discussion touched a plethora of subjects such as how we can lead the way in technical training, student support, research and UK v European dance. An ‘out of the hat’ session was a new addition this year and proved to be popular with 12 different groups discussing a variety of topics suggested by staff. The need for collaboration, more of it and a need to progress with it was conveyed by many.
As always, staff found one of the best parts of the day to be the chance to meet up and network with like-minded individuals and fellow professionals. One participant felt sharing experiences with other staff members was ‘a very liberating experience and I feel galvanized into action’.