Miko Fogarty

[aileen]

As I said in another thread, if she is up to it, David Bintley will give her plenty of opportunities early on. Miki Mizutani, who joined BRB from ENBS in 2012, has been dancing lead roles since her second year with the company. We will soon see if her abilities as a company dancer match all the hype. In a recent article with Vadim Muntagirov, who was identified as a future star as soon as he joined ENB and danced Albrecht within a few months of joining the company, he said that the first year with ENB was incredibly hard and that he believes that he didn't have a single performance off because when he wasn't dancing soloist or lead roles he was back dancing in the corps. It will be a huge transition for Miko, particularly if she has not had the experience of dancing as an extra in a company production as Miki (and probably Vadim) had in her time with ENBS.

[LinMM]

As I said on the other thread if she has been at this Indiana Ballet Conservatory for a couple of years she will have had this experience I should think.

[aballetlife]

yeah probably, I know she's done a lot of guest artist stuff like sugarplum fairy in nutcracker for school companies I think?

[invisiblecircus]

Where's the other thread people are referring to?

[CeliB]

I remember watching Miko in First Position (she won a bronze medal I think) and I was tickled to see DSs best friend from the Kirov standing quietly behind with... a gold medal

 

Also her teacher in the film is the twin brother of DSs first teacher at Kirov. Guess the ballet world is pretty small!

 

Personally I have always thought Miko looks a bit strained (as if she's trying too hard) compared to the girl I refer to above, who you can see in this link aged 14

 

 

(btw you can spot a 14 yr old DS in there too- he's the first Rose Cavalier to appear...and the tallest)

[Melody]

Where's the other thread people are referring to?

It's the thread about David Bintley wanting BRB to attract older audiences (the last few posts on page 2 of the thread).

 

http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/9201-bintley-brb-need-to-attract-older-audiences/page-2

 

Just wondering - would this thread be better off in the News and Info forum?

Edited April 1, 2015 by Melody

[aileen]

Wow, your son's best friend is amazing. What is she doing now? And how lovely to see your son, CeliB. The boys look very accomplished in their partnering. Is the clip from a school show?

[balletqs]

Oh my goodness how amazing is she! (And your son looks stunning too!)

[balletqs]

Back to Miko. I think BRB is a much better prospect for her. They are such a welcoming and intelligent group of dancers. She is very young and u think she's will get a lot of opportunity there. Wishing her all the best.

[alison]

Where's the other thread people are referring to?

I've moved all the posts onto this one thread now. 

[pastel]

I think it is exciting news for her and wish her all the best. She and her family have chosen a different training route - not one I would choose or could afford to choose for my dd but I admire them for having the courage to be different and do what they think is best for their family. 

 

Personally, I think the world was a more peaceful place without all the social media but we have to accept that this is the 21st century and it is the culture our teens live in.

 

From what I've seen of her, she is a beautiful dancer and an extremely hard worker. I think that work ethic will serve her well no matter what roles she is given over the next few years.

 

I look forward to watching her dance live and see how her career pans out.

[CeliB]

aileen she is now at Dutch National Junior company and I hear she has just signed a contract for the main company (at the tender age of 17). Yes the extract is from the school show...

 

appreciate it seems to be a bit of a hijack of this thread to refer to Riho but I think Miko (along with others as discussed above) deliberately cultivates a massive social media following and this does seem to make people anxious that this is now mandatory to getting a contract. So I think it is important to highlight that you can do just as well with no internet or prize winning presence at all ... (at least it makes me feel better, as I can't face the thought of this as well as all the other organisational challenges we face to support DS!!!)

[Nina G.]

This is a general reflection on the use of social media by youngsters and student ballet dancers promoting themselves. It  is NOT intended to criticise the social media activities of said young dancer. 

 

Having a huge following on social media doesn't make a youngster a better dancer. They say "talent alone isn't enough to establish a successful and long career as a dancer". I'd add "having a huge following on social media isn't enough to have a successful, long career as a dancer". Social media "success" comes and goes, one day they are in the spotlight, next day it's old news.

 

Young people nowadays seem to think "they are famous", that "they have made it and are successful" once they have 1000's of followers on Instagram/FB/Twitter. That does not mean they are achieving (nor is it a guarantee to) succes as a professional.

 

SO much more is needed before they will achieve genuine and well-deserved success.

[aileen]

I agree that having a huge following on social media is no indicator of talent as a dancer (or talent in anything else). However, I'm not convinced that the best people necessarily get to the top in a company (or in any other employment field, for that matter). There are so many factors involved including a big dose of luck, in particular luck that you appeal to the current AD at your particular company. There are people who I think have been over-promoted at the RB and ENB (the companies which I watch the most) and, conversely, people who should have been promoted or promoted earlier. I don't want to personalise this too much but I do get the feeling that 'fame' or an 'angle' which can be used to promote the company is taken into account by companies these days in recruitment and promotion decisions.

[Booklover89]

Perhaps we should hold back a bit until the poor girl has had a chance to actually dance with the company for a while before merrily pointing out that her social media presence won't necessarily translate into leading roles?  Yes she's promoted herself on instagram etc, but so do a huge number of dancers who are both training and already established in companies.  She's done very well in a tough, tough discipline, and I hope that she is happy in Birmingham and brings much pleasure to BRB audiences.  

 

Aileen - I'm sure companies do welcome it when a dancer provides a particular 'angle' for publicity, but I'm not convinced that it really plays any more of a part in a decision to promote a dancer than any other factor.  Though, as with most people on this forum, there are certainly dancers who I feel have been continually passed over for promotion for no explicable reason...

 

Edit:  Apologies NinaG, I did not see your disclaimer in bold above.  Obviously I agree that discussion re: social media should be restricted to general terms and not targeted towards Miko in particular.  But perhaps it would be more appropriate to move the generalised discussion away from a thread with her name attached to it?

Edited April 2, 2015 by Booklover89

[aileen]

Booklover89, we wouldn't even be having this discussion if MF was not 'famous'. She would have been just another overseas trained dancer (ok she has British citizenship but doesn't appear to have much connection with the UK otherwise) taken on by a UK company whose arrival would have been met with indifference or grumbles about overseas trained dancers taking the place of talented UK trained graduates. Several people have expressed enthusiasm about her appointment. Why? They don't know her but, because of her extensive profile on social media, they feel some connection with her and share in her successes in some way. That is the whole point of promoting yourself on social media. You want people to take an interest in what you are doing and root for you and hope that your profile will advance your career. You wouldn't bother otherwise. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. If she is really good she will get featured roles early on, as has happened with very young dancers at the RB, BRB and ENB in the last few years. I wish her and all young dancers joining companies this year the best of luck.

[rowan]

Although this thread might have begun about Miko Fogarty in particular, I think it's changed somewhat, to one about the importance, or lack of it, of social media for dancers. If an AD has one contract to offer and a couple of dancers of similar ability to choose between, but one of those dancers has both a large public and press following, which would mean more seats filled in theatres and more productions reviewed in the press, which dancer would they pick? I think that's a valid question to ponder.

 

No reference to Miko is implied in this!

edited to add last sentence,

Edited April 2, 2015 by rowan

[aileen]

Perhaps a new thread should be started about the importance (or not) of social media and profile generally in building a career.

[Booklover89]

Yes, aileen - I don't think anything I said contradicts what you have just said.  It goes without saying that we wouldn't be having this discussion if she wasn't 'famous'.  But I would just question whether we really need to have several posts pointing out that a successful social media profile won't necessarily translate into company success (even if they are proclaimed to be 'general comments') under a thread entitled 'Miko Fogarty' - that rather invites people to draw inferences and it can come across as quite mean-spirited, even if not intended that way.  Perhaps we could start a new thread for a general 'social media' discussion, as it's an interesting topic?

 

She's only 17, we don't know who is advising her, and let's remember that promotion on social media is very much the norm for her age group (and increasingly for ballet dancers in general).  I do think we should reserve judgement on her abilities and avoid speculation on how she will handle the 'company transition' until we've actually had a chance to see her perform.

[Melody]

In Miko Fogarty's case I don't think it's just the social media that has people interested in her, it's the exposure from First Position and the dynamics of her family situation. It sounded as though she really wanted a Royal Ballet School scholarship from one or other of the competitions she entered, and it didn't happen but she's continued to work hard with an exceptionally supportive family. I think people are interested in her development because of the personalities and the circumstances, and the familiarity we have with her if we've watched that documentary.

 

I hope, after all the exposure and the concentration on solo variations for her competition entries, she'll be happy in the BRB corps and will have the patience and maturity to settle into the reality of being a company dancer, and will continue to develop as a professional.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Melody

[balletla]

Let's also remember the hard-working talented dancers in our top schools who haven't had any exposure as they are prevented from entering competitions because (to quote Christopher Powney) they are too busy and already at a top school, so what would be the point? Well the point is, these students may be 'busy' but are not getting seen in the way that these competition dancers are!

[JulieW]

I find so much media exposure a bit of a "turn off" personally - I'm not into celebrity culture. But I wish her well - the same as I would anyone getting their first contract.

[aileen]

Booklover, I'm not inviting people to draw inferences about MF's likely success as a company dancer. But when you promote yourself on social media you are 'bigging yourself up' and people will naturally wonder whether the reality matches the hype. I have never watched MF on YouTube and I am neutral about her appointment. I am aware that some dancers use social media to connect with their fans and, quite frankly, I find some of it a bit nauseating as it's so self-regarding.

[LinMM]

It's not only young dancers who do this though.

 

Some top dancers who are already famous do so as well ......who hardly need the social media hype....

 

Diana Vishneva is one.

 

I'm not sure I think it is just the way things have gone.

Even I'm on Facebook these days which a few years ago would have been unthinkable for me!!!

[kkmom]

The way in US is a bit different. From the interview I read on Miko and her mom, I learnt that she's home-schooling. And ballet class is mainly private and sometimes to Japan for classes too. Her way doesn't imply better or a more promising future. It's just "different". My DD enjoy watching her videos on YouTube.

[Jan McNulty]

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal.

[Harwel]

Just wondering if anyone knows what happened to Miko Fogarty at BRB? I believe she got an apprentice spot for 2015/2016 but she is not listed on the BRB website and there was no mention of her in promotions or leavers.

[Lisa O`Brien]

Just had a look on her Twitter. She is in Indonesia at the moment. And she is selling her tutu on Ebay.

[Fiz]

She's also been doing more galas and grand prix.

[TYR]

I'd hit like but I don't.

[Lisa O`Brien]

Just found it via Google. Last year it said she joined BRB "On a one year contract". So one year with the company was only ever on the cards.

[Harwel]

Oh, ok. Thanks Lisa.

[Jan McNulty]

She's mentioned the gala in Indonesia on her blog:

 

http://www.mikofogarty.com/blog/