Emma Poole
Dance instructor/Dance troupe performer
BA (Hons) Dance
Running away to join the circus might sound like a daydream, but for high-flying aerial dancer Emma Poole, that’s exactly what she did after graduating from Edge Hill University.
“After graduation I moved to Australia for a year and learned how to teach aerial in a community circus in Darwin,” says Emma. “I also trained in different aerial centres across the country before moving to Ireland to teach children and adult aerial classes at the Irish Aerial Creation Centre.”
Alongside this, Emma also teaches at the University of Limerick as part of the BA Contemporary Dance and MA in Festive Arts programmes, and works for Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre, performing at festivals, events and weddings across Ireland.
“The best part of my job is getting to do what I love every day and sharing that love with children and adults,” says Emma. “I love to inspire children when I perform as that’s how I was inspired to do dance from a young age. For me, aerial makes the impossible possible and I think that can inspire anyone.”
Emma had never considered a career in teaching before studying at Edge Hill but discovered skills she didn’t know she possessed during a teaching module.
She says:
“The teaching experience has helped me dramatically in my career so far as I teach a lot and all ages. Before I started at Edge Hill I was super shy so I didn’t think I would ever be capable of it, but having a placement in a school as part of the course was really helpful.
“I gained a huge amount of skills from Edge Hill, not just in dance but in the skills you need to get a job in the real world like how to write a good CV and cover letter and networking with people in the dance/aerial world.”
Emma is currently in the process of setting up her own aerial company called Tangled in Air and plans to continue traveling around the world to perform, teach and train.
“My advice to students would be don’t worry about not getting the perfect job as soon as you graduate. If you continue to train in what you want to do and take classes, then you are networking. Don’t be disheartened if you have to take a non-dance job in the meantime, opportunities will come if you stay motivated.”
To find out more about studying this programme, please view full course information for BA (Hons) Dance.