Behind the curtain

Meet Lucy Banfield - educator, performer, and inspiration for the performing arts industry

Have you ever watched a show and left the experience feeling inspired? When that happens, it is no accident. That feeling hits you because of how you felt in the moment and the hard work put in by those behind the creative work. The impact of the art is often a reflection of the artist. After all, art is self-expression in its most human and pure form. Every great artist has a great teacher behind them. A teacher who inspired them and recognised that they have something within them, waiting to get out.

We can all agree that changes need to happen, and industries are too slow to adapt to social change. Change is visible but doesn’t run as deep as we, as an industry, would like.

The creative industry is vibrant and ever-changing. It is a living, breathing entity with personality and nuances. As an industry, we have seen a push to be more diverse and progressive, especially in recent years. The material is changing. Productions, cast, and crew are becoming more diverse and representative. Despite that outward change, the individual's lived experience still needs work and attention.

Humble beginnings, monumental achievements

Lucy Banfield is the Head of Dance for the School of Musical Theatre at Arts Educational Schools London , and the former Head of Vocational Studies at The Urdang Academy. Lucy has seen the need for changes to reach deep into the lives of the people affected by the industry.

Lucy’s dad was born in St Vincent, raised in Trinidad and came to the UK in the Windrush. And her mum was born and raised in Kent. Growing up in South East London, Lucy developed a love for dancing at an early age. A passion ignited thanks in no small part to the aerobics classes she attended that her mum taught.

Lucy has achieved some incredible things in her life and career. She has been a professional ballet dancer, performed in and contributed to an impressive list of musical theatre shows, dance captain for the Olympic ceremonies, dancer for the Paralympic ceremonies, and much more. In her long and distinguished career, she has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry.?

Teaching, the right way

Lucy now uses her vast knowledge and experience to teach performing arts students. An education which prepares her students for the unstable career path ahead of them.?Her work at the Urdang Academy (and other educational institutions) has enabled her to nurture the creativity, resilience, and skill of students from diverse backgrounds.

Using a combination of classical training and real-world experience you can only gain when you are an accomplished performer, Lucy provides her students with insights that would have otherwise been a potential hard lesson in their careers. Teaching and building skills, honing discipline, and building confidence.

“I really enjoyed, at Urdang, the idea that I was representing, that there's visibility, and showing people that there isn’t a ceiling on what you can achieve, regardless of the colour of your skin, where you come from, or anything. To show them there is support for the individual,” Lucy said when she talked about the Urdang Academy.

Hardship and adversity can light a fire underneath creativity when managed and supported appropriately. This is one of the many reasons why Lucy's work is so important. The students will drive lasting and meaningful change in the industry and changes that will improve the lived experience of the individuals.?

“As much as, you know, the industry is saying we are diverse, and we accept; certain support systems are not in place,” Lucy said as she talked about how the face of the industry is changing, but the internal, practical changes are slow to appear.?

It’s not only the practicalities that need addressing.?Lucy said, “There is definitely a bit of an unease in students who are diverse feeling as though they are now a box-ticking exercise."?

Confidence spreads

As a creative, few things are more important than confidence. A large portion of Lucy's work is to instil confidence in her students. A lesson learned from her own experiences over the years. Self-belief is infectious; when you have it, other people feel it too.

“You have to back yourself. Because confidence is paramount, isn't it?” Lucy said, “you could be the most talented person, but if you go into the room and fall apart, if you don't believe in yourself, no one's going to believe in you. I didn't back myself at ballet school; it's why I probably didn't progress there as much as I possibly could have. I didn't have that confidence. I didn't realise that at the time.”

The education, training, and support received throughout the student journey teaches students how to speak up without being labelled as problematic and be resilient enough to make it through the hard times. Most importantly, the teaching and support actively demonstrate to the students the supportive and empowering feeling that can only be felt when individuals have a strong, supportive, and compassionate community around them.

Environment is everything

“Environment is everything. I think it's everything. And definitely, the environments that I was in, and some of the people that I experienced definitely didn't help along the way. But I now look at that and think, Well, now I know what not to do. You know, so I'm grateful for those experiences,” Lucy recalled as she talked about how her own experiences in the industry have shaped how she teaches and supports the students.

Lucy’s real-world experiences make her the ideal person to teach the up-and-coming generation. “It was an environment that I didn't really feel like I fitted into, but I didn't understand at the time why there was that underlying feeling,” Lucy said when she recalled her time at ballet school, “looking back, I think that's probably what I felt when I trained at ballet school in the 90s. There weren't many people who were mixed race, and nobody really looked like me. No one really came from South East London and had my background. So it was always this underlying feeling of not fitting in.”

Having navigated the world of musical theatre successfully, Lucy can recognise her students' struggles and help them understand and overcome the issues. As a teacher and guide, Lucy pushes her students to always aim for excellence.

Excellence over perfection

“I stay away from the word perfect, and you just aim for excellence,” Lucy said.

Excellence has no ceiling or limitations; you can always be better. As individuals, we all have a personal responsibility to strive for excellence, as do organisations, institutions, and the industry. We all share in both the commitment to continually improve the lived experience of everyone in the industry and the responsibility we all have to hold ourselves and our peers accountable.

In her role as teacher, Lucy encourages her students to take responsibility and hold themselves and each other accountable, creating a sense of community and supporting each other. As the teacher, she takes her responsibility for the well-being of her students seriously. Looking out all the time for changes in attitude and behaviour, something she realises was missing from her own education in ballet school.

Lucy reflects on her experiences in ballet school, “I wish that I had someone hold me a little bit more accountable when I was at ballet school. Sometimes I would sit down when we did the big jumps, and I would say that I had an injury that wasn't that bad. Because I lacked so much confidence, I just didn't feel like I could get up, and it would have been really lovely if someone had checked in and just said what's going on? How can we do this? You have to be responsible; you have to help; we need to hold you accountable, but also that maybe the tutor is accountable for checking.”

Seizing opportunity

Lucy and Ivan met a couple of years ago. Ivan Weiss wanted to create an initiative that would enable one graduate per month to get a free headshot session with London's leading headshot photographer.?

“Headshots are such a massive thing; they can get you into the room in an audition, get you an agent, you know, it can really be the make or break. If you can't get into the room or haven't got an agent, how do you even get that job?” Lucy said about the necessity of a professional headshot that stands out and has depth to it.

Who needs it most

Picking suitable candidates for the initiative had to be well thought out. Lucy said, “It needed to be someone who visibility hadn't really been there for them. That really struck a chord with me. Also, someone who isn't from an affluent background, who wouldn't be able to afford to have that amazing experience.”?

The initiative has been really successful so far. It has helped people access opportunities that they would have otherwise missed out on. Lucy talks about some of the students that have taken part:

“The individuals so far have been Kyerron, who graduated from Urdang, who is super, super talented. Elliot. I believe Elliott's headshot that Ivan took, Ivan entered it into a competition. It looks like a painting.?

“Tamara, who I worked really closely with. We did a third-year production of Legally Blonde, and she's mixed race and she was mixed race Elle, so that was breaking boundaries on the blonde white stereotype for that production.?

“I have another student in mind at the moment, who currently is a way away kind of working through some stuff for herself. And when she gets back, I'm going to present that to her.?

“Then we also had Chris. Chris helped me choreograph some numbers. So really important along the way due to the lack of people of colour choreographing and in positions of authority within the theatre. So, trying to open that out a little bit. And Chris helped me choreograph a number and has a really bright future ahead. So that was kind of my thoughts with Chris.

“And their experiences with Ivan; they've come back and just said how incredible it's been.”

Looking deeper

Initiatives like this serve a vital function within the industry, reaching far beyond the opportunity it provides for the individual. They shine a light on the industry, exposing the gaps in support that need to be filled, and identifying when and where the industry is not doing enough to create a safe and supportive environment for the individuals it affects. As Ivan said about the initiative, “It’s not a thank you; it’s to show you that you are doing it wrong and things need to change.”

Everyone must take more action. More changes are needed, more initiatives launched, and more opportunities created. The positive impact of these initiatives and the excellent work of the people behind them have far-reaching implications. They show the students and those early in their careers the right way to do things. They teach the up-and-coming that they too have a responsibility to improve their environment for themselves and everyone around them. They gift people the realisation that they deserve an opportunity to make their mark and that their skills and creativity are valuable assets for them and the entire industry.?

Education and its supporting initiatives provide a blueprint for other organisations and institutions to follow. An example that the industry should follow as it raises its ethical standards.

The best start

Life as a creative of any kind is never easy. It is a life in service of the art, a life of self-expression in its most profound form. The work done by people like Lucy Banfield, educating the up-and-coming generation and preparing them for the world, is vital for the industry's future. It gives the next generation the best possible start to their careers and births the next wave of beauty in artistry. That work needs to be recognised and celebrated because it forms the very core of the industry.?

More changes must be implemented within the industry to ensure that the foundations put in place by educators, organisations, institutions, and initiatives are built upon stably. This proposed change can only be a good thing for us all. There is no downside to creating a safer, more practical, and more supportive industry for us all.

Education and its supporting initiatives are only the beginning. Every level of the industry needs to work to improve it for everybody and to aim for excellence. I think we can all agree that the work done by educators like Lucy Banfield is nothing short of phenomenal and will begin a long process of change and improvements for the entire industry.?