RELATIVELY SPEAKING, EXPERIENCE IS RELATIVE
There could be a million reasons to advocate for experience when looking to hire a new staff. But is experience really worth the stress or it's simply just overrated? I know this is very arguable but I do not mind hiring someone without prior teaching experience. At times, raw talent is a good starting point for employment.
Why isn't experience all that for me? - It's easier to draw a new picture on a blank canvas than to try to make impressions on an already tainted one. The Dance industry in Nigeria is not so crowded. It's growing, it's blooming... There are a handful of places where you can get trained in this country and not everyone in this business sees the need to obtain 'formal' dance training and skill. So what we have is a number of dancers who have learned a few moves via YouTube and give their best impression of it. When you employ a Ballet teacher who claims to have been teaching Ballet for six years, you begin to wonder if Africa has created a new version of Ballet which I call BA-LET!
When I say experience is relative, I am implying that experience in itself may not be a great asset until it is one of top quality. Where did he/she gather the experience? I do not mind hiring a novice, taking time to personally train him/her or enroll them in a good institution to get necessary training. That way, I know what he/she is learning. It is a lot easier to work with someone who is learning a new technique the right way than one trying to unlearn a wrong one. Why do you think corporate organizations have "Graduate Trainee" programmes? They want to catch the brightest young minds quickly, give them their first training/work experience, all in the hope of creating a lasting future team of managers. It is certainly a risk - as the trainees, after receiving so much from you, could opt and leave - but it is one risk worth taking. For those who remain, the employer is certain of the caliber of skill that the trainees have acquired. She knows she has a good crop of staff that can very well grow to take top positions in the nearest future.
In summary, create a balance. If you can afford it, go for well-trained dancers/dance teachers/choreographers to join your team. Likewise, employ those you can train and groom yourself. Remember when next you place an ad for experienced staff, try to specify the quality of experience you are seeking so it does not come back to bite you in the leg :)
Why isn't experience all that for me? - It's easier to draw a new picture on a blank canvas than to try to make impressions on an already tainted one. The Dance industry in Nigeria is not so crowded. It's growing, it's blooming... There are a handful of places where you can get trained in this country and not everyone in this business sees the need to obtain 'formal' dance training and skill. So what we have is a number of dancers who have learned a few moves via YouTube and give their best impression of it. When you employ a Ballet teacher who claims to have been teaching Ballet for six years, you begin to wonder if Africa has created a new version of Ballet which I call BA-LET!
When I say experience is relative, I am implying that experience in itself may not be a great asset until it is one of top quality. Where did he/she gather the experience? I do not mind hiring a novice, taking time to personally train him/her or enroll them in a good institution to get necessary training. That way, I know what he/she is learning. It is a lot easier to work with someone who is learning a new technique the right way than one trying to unlearn a wrong one. Why do you think corporate organizations have "Graduate Trainee" programmes? They want to catch the brightest young minds quickly, give them their first training/work experience, all in the hope of creating a lasting future team of managers. It is certainly a risk - as the trainees, after receiving so much from you, could opt and leave - but it is one risk worth taking. For those who remain, the employer is certain of the caliber of skill that the trainees have acquired. She knows she has a good crop of staff that can very well grow to take top positions in the nearest future.
Tamara Ajasa,
DanceMusicologyConcepts, 2017.
Well done Tamara! Good read
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks sis. God bless u. And you've just entered my history book/success story as my first blog post comment-or! 😀😘
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