We were delighted to have Erin Brunda and Ellie Morgan, our two Spring 2025 LIPA placement students, join us for a week on the road during Eun-Me Ahn Dance Company’s UK tour of Dragons in March 2025. Find out more about their individual experiences below as they reflect in their own words on their time with Dance Consortium.
Erin Brunda
‘A Week On Tour with Dance Consortium’
I recently had the pleasure of joining Dance Consortium on their tour of the Eun-me Ahn Dance Company’s production of Dragons. I was joined by my course mate Ellie, and I am confident that I can say that we had the best time at the Bradford and Birmingham locations learning about the cities, theatres, tour management, and tech set-up.
Going into this placement, I had a limited idea of what the touring process actually looked like from day to day. I’ve been taught the planning process, but the practical experience gained from this placement has been so exciting and helpful in understanding my career goals.
For example, because of the time I spent helping with the load-ins at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre and the Birmingham Hippodrome, I discovered that I really enjoy the practical, hands-on aspect of the job as well as the computer work. Thanks to Dance Consortium’s Joe Bates and Meg Saunders, I was able and encouraged to try out, observe, and discuss any interests I may have. They set up meetings and little Q&A sessions with the theatre staff to better understand all aspects of what goes into the production of a show.
I am especially thankful to the theatre staff for being so wonderful in letting Ellie and I pick their brains with a million questions a minute.
Show days were particularly exciting as well as there was either an open rehearsal or workshop prior to the performance. I was able to assist Meg with setting those up and learned about the outreach efforts made by Dance Consortium to involve the communities of each city by engaging the younger generations to be passionate for arts, especially those that would otherwise never be seen in the United Kingdom.
When it comes to working on tour, I’ve especially enjoyed the community and friendship that all the crew have with each other. Everyone was so friendly and had loads of fun with each other whilst being there to work and put on an incredible show. With this show being as international as it was (i.e. South Korean dancers, tech crew from France, English and Scottish hosts/touring crew, and me from the US), it was amazing to see how everyone was able to communicate even if in other languages or textbook English. Just body language alone and understanding of the work was able to carry everyone to success.
Now… the show itself!
This tour was with the Eun-me Ahn Dance Company and her show Dragons, and I must say that it is one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever seen. Having grown up on the dance world my whole life, this show revitalized my love for dance and helped me to understand aspects of myself and the world I live in. Eun-Me is an incredible woman with so much life and talent and beauty. Dragons has been an experience I truly will never forget, and I will hope to be able to see more from her and her dancers in the future, even if I should go to South Korea to do so.
I am so thankful that Dance Consortium opens its doors to students looking for experience and placement opportunities. It is so important to be able to learn in an environment that is encouraging and purely made for you to learn more about your passions. Everything is a learning opportunity and though it can take some adjustment, I am excited to continue my career efforts and go down the new paths that have opened themselves to me.
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Ellie Morgan
‘Dance Consortium Review’
Touring with Dance Consortium on their Eun-Me Dance Company: Dragons Tour was rewarding in many aspects. Before landing on the placement, I had very little knowledge of the touring world. From a music management background, I also knew little of the dance world. On finishing the week on tour, I have learnt a lot and am filled with enthusiasm for the next touring opportunity. During this week, I was taught, hands on, about front of house, technical requirements, and tour management. This experience truly was a deep dive into the touring world.
Upon applying for this placement, I had no background in dance but was interested in all things live events. The practical and interactive approach of working so closely with all the touring departments was an opportunity I had not received before. I found that the dedication and tireless effort Eun Me Dance Company worked for this whole tour extremely inspirational. It is unfortunate that their ability to perform each night at full capacity, as well as training each day and leading workshops with local communities, is not perceived by audiences.
Supporting the technical team during get-in/ get-out was one of my favourite elements of the week. Previous to this experience, I had only a vague idea of the extensive training it takes in order to prepare for a show of this size. The technical team worked prolonged hours, with persistent positivity, which radiated throughout the rest of the venue. Get-in, the second time round, became a lot easier, as I quickly learnt the role and placement of the tech. I believe that this ‘hands-on’ approach has fast-tracked my understanding of touring tech immensely. It is continuously inspiring to me how much work goes unnoticed when putting on a show to this level.
Alongside working with the crew, tour management tasks such as budgeting, tour book creation and recording sustainability levels became a crucial part of our time on tour. Whilst this was purely work for current and upcoming Dance Consortium tours, these skills became instrumental in future projects.
Dance Consortium pledge to provide a creative platform to international and minority communities who may not have previously been offered that opportunity. I had never experienced the type of performance that the Dragons tour produced, yet I found each show more fulfilling than the last, as I learnt to appreciate the art further each time. On speaking to Audience and Engagement Manager, Meg Saunders, I found that her work interested me the most, leaving with motivation to partake in a similar field of work. Joe Bates, Chief Executive, also provided exclusive insight into touring, and the exhausting planning that is undergone to ensure that the tour takes place.
The most beneficial part of the tour was using the opportunity to ask questions to all departments. All those involved in the process of the show were more than willing to speak to me about their role and each spoke with such passion about their field of work. Despite long hours, and often laborious tasks, the buzz of enthusiasm circulated notably.
In spite of my lack of education within the field, I feel as though I have learnt a vast amount of information in such a small amount of time. In the future, I am excited to expand my knowledge and venture again into the touring world, as it is undoubtably a career I would like to explore. Without the opportunity provided by Dance Consortium, I would not have learnt about the devotion and dedication it takes to produce such professional pieces of art. I am grateful for this week, as I have unveiled a further passion for touring and live events.
