Graduate Destinations: First jobs … where did you go from here? Hannah Cubitt
Hannah Cubitt
BA Modern Ballet, 2019
Artist, Scottish Ballet
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re on tour with David Dawson’s Swan Lake, which has been incredible.
What were your first jobs after graduating?
In third year at RCS, I joined as one of the artists for the Cinderella tour and danced with them for three months or so. At the end of the tour, I was offered a job. It didn’t feel real! I’d watched Scottish Ballet growing up and I never actually thought that it could be me on stage with them one day.
How did RCS prepare you for the industry?
It prepared me so much. RCS has such a professional atmosphere and it’s inspiring because you’re in such a motivated environment and everyone wants the best outcome for everyone.
I feel like RCS has a uniqueness — you don’t just work within the ballet department, you work with every department, which I find so interesting.
Every year, we got to work alongside stage management, the technicians, the set and costume designers. A big part of RCS also was how you could become your own individual artist.
What did you enjoy most about your studies?
The course is quite small, so you have personal relationships with all the staff — they’re not just your lecturers, they’re more like your support system and guides and leaders. They’re always there for you. My third year was quite special. It started off touring with Scottish Ballet and then getting a job at the end of it.
The relationships I’ve built with my year, especially, are so powerful and beautiful, and we have such support for one another. And we had fun in third year!
One of my favourite experiences is when we performed at Buckingham Palace. It was such a surreal moment.
Hannah (left) in rehearsals for Scottish Ballet’s production of Swan Lake, by Mihaela Bodlovic
Does anything stand out from your training that you’ve carried into your professional life?
RCS training supported us to become unique and individual artists. They helped me shape how I want to be perceived as a dancer and I was given the freedom to develop my own personal style, avoiding the self-limiting temptation to ‘blend in’ and conform to conventions.
Any career highlights?
Being at Scottish Ballet feels like home, I have such wonderful feelings towards the company. I have lots of favourite moments from my time here.
One was when I got to perform Mazelda in The Snow Queen and I played Morag in Cinders!, which involved character work and I’d come off stage in hysterics. And then there’s Swan Lake. It’s such a challenging piece and to do Big Swans on top of it is so rewarding and fulfilling.
What would you say to those thinking about studying at RCS?
Even if it’s just auditioning for the experience, it’s so worthwhile. And you really can’t explain the environment of RCS unless you’ve been in there.
It’s such a different world and the motto, ‘Like Nowhere Else’ — I truly believe that. I’ve never experienced an environment the same as it, it’s so special.
Main image: Andy Ross