Hola from Hannah!

You might have seen on our website that I have worked abroad for a while so I thought this would be a good place to share a few of my experiences as a young women finding her feet!

In 2012 itchy feet finally got the better of me and I began a new chapter in my life, I had always wanted to travel and my background in Gymnastics and Dance lent itself to the entertainment industry.

So filled with a mixture of hope and trepidation I packed my bags and put my best foot forward. I started off doing a month in Salou, Spain working in the hotel Calypso performing in various musicals & shows. This was pretty daunting at first but it really was where I grew into an independent woman (because you had too ha!).

After I finished working there I realised I had caught the bug, and that this was the type of career I wanted to do for a while. The ability to travel and see new places and to be on stage was hugely appealing. I left Spain and traveled to Malta to join the Seabank Hotel entertainment team in Mellieha Bay for the winter season.

It's here I got to grips with musicals such as Mamma Mia, Burlesque, Cats and many more. I started work as a Dancer/Acrobat and then progressed further by helping out with Choreography and adapting the shows to help improve them and bring in ever growing crowds.

After the season had finished, I decided to go back to Salou with MedPlaya Hotels for the full Summer Season! What a brilliant season this was! I was there as a Dancer/Acrobat and did the occasional Backing Singer parts when needed.

I met so many great friends here and this was where I discovered what it was like to be a part of a Performing Team and work with other amazing Singers, Dancers & Acrobats. The biggest highlight for me on my travels was getting to perform with the premier Michael Jackson Tribute act in Spain.

The experience was unforgettable and although I don't have any regrets about doing it I do look back and think I could have made more of an effort to explore. But when you are young and your job involves a lot of late nights its easy to get pulled into the social side, perhaps a little more than you should! #toomuchparty.

Of course there are always going to be lows in any experience and mine was no exception. In fact one event turned out to be devastating for me at the time. I had managed to secure the lead role in Flashdance, a role I loved, the dancing, the performance, it was amazing.

In one of these performances a move went wrong, having landed a "Suicide" many times before this one did not go well at all and resulted in me crumpled on the stage in front of a live audience in agony. I got up and managed to finish the routine but immediately after was crippled and was taken to hospital.

It was here that following various tests and X-Rays it was confirmed that I had fractured my spine and was hospitalised. It is always hard being in hospital, but being in one abroad where you don't speak the language was exceptionally tough. It was here I was told I might not walk again and should consider buying a wheelchair, devastated does not cover it...

I was young, fit, a Dancer, a Performer and a Gymnast. This was simply the worst news I could ever have received.

Thankfully if you are reading this blog you already know how the story ends and after many months of medical care and physiotherapy back in the UK my story has had a much happier end that it might of.

The shy, reserved girl that left the UK had returned older, a bit wiser and with a few more bumps and bruises. This girl now had a determination that no matter what life throws at you, you can take control, not with your body but with your mind and attitude. This event was both my biggest heartache and my biggest gift rolled into one.

So be brave, explore, take your chances. Its a big old world out there and you need to grab it by the scruff of the neck and show it who's boss!

Hasta Luego! (See you later)

H XX

#Travel #Experiences #Background