Hey, I went to the Campus session on Tuesday and discussed reader 5 and the big part that ethics plays across all aspects of our lives.
I was travelling back from London with a professional associate of mine who is also a dancer in the same position as myself. I prepared questions and we spoke and developed them.
Here is what happened in the interview:
A professional
associate of mine...
Do you think it is
important in order to fulfil your dancing career to move around and experience
work in different places or to work your way up within a company?
“If you want to move up in a company it is important to have
spent time there to learn what the company is about and how it works, however
having experience from other places of work/ different companies etc could
bring valuable skills and knowledge that could help bring fresh ideas to the company.
E.g I think it’s important to move round at first to get an
idea of what you like and how different people work, so you have a broader range
of skills to feed off if you wanted to move up the company.
Where do you see
yourself in 10 years time? What would like your occupation to be?
If I am unable to dance in that time I would like to stay
within the profession, however, I don’t know at this time what role that would
be. During my education as a dancer the focus was always on just dancing, never
the jobs surrounding the profession so I feel like I don’t really know fully
what is even out there for me as a dancer moving forwards.
Do you think that in
performing arts schools there should be supporting lessons about future career
paths related to dance?
Yes! Although it’s hopefully a long way off, I think there
should be some preparation. Also it helps to give an idea about how productions
work as a whole, not just your specific role.
Do you think there is
enough life in the industry for new companies to be founded?
Of course! You need new shows to be created, otherwise the
industry would die. There are only so many times you can watch Swan Lake or the
Nutcracker.
Do you think more
traditional forms of dance are becoming less popular?
I think they are becoming less popular but they will never
die out.
Do you think that
there are skills from being a professional dancer that can be transferred to
being management within a dance company?
Yes and no.
As a dancer you are always trained to follow instructions
exactly and some people may find it difficult to transfer into the role of the
person giving the instruction.
There are skills that would be good for management such as
good teamwork, creativity, a strong work ethic...
Do you think people
are born with these abilities or do you think these skills can be learned?
I think some people are going to be naturally better at
somethings than others but the skills such as teamwork and work ethic can
definitely be learned and improved through dance which will make you a better
manager.
I then started asking questions related to work ethics.
From your
professional experience as a dancer have you been fairly treated?
No, I think that there are very strong stereotypes within
the dance world and how it viewed from outside the dance world. For example, If
I say I am a dancer to someone they may have a different view of me than if I
introduced myself as a ballet dancer.
Do you think you were
treated equally to your fellow colleagues of the companies you have worked for?
Yes, in some places, but in others no. In the company where
I thought I was fairly treated there was a clear hierarchical structure where
as the company I thought I was not fairly treated the lines were more blurred
and the unfairness seemed to be for more personal reasons such as
favouritism than professional reasons
such as ability.
Is there anything
that you could have done about this?
No, it would have caused awkwardness within the company,
worsening my situation.
The questions that I asked about ethics stirred something inside of me and I realised how strongly I feel about how we are being treated as dancers.
At the campus session we spoke about the film The Black Swan. Many of the ethical issues that occur in the film are of relevance to the questions that I developed.
I started to write down thoughts and questions that entered my mind.
Bullying, when does it occur?
How do people deal with bullying within the work place?
Favouritism, can this go too far?
How unfairly will dancers allow themselves to be treated in order to keep their jobs?
Can any action be taken?
Can we afford to take any action?
What support is available to dancers in this situation?
How can we keep personal and professional separate?
Hierarchy, in the work place - are the lines too blurred?
Etiquette, how can people get away with getting it really wrong?
I feel that by answering these will help me on the way to management itself.
Surely knowing how I should be treated as a dancer and what really goes on, what action can be taken within companies against mal- treatment of employees will help me to learn how to manage people for myself in the future.
How do you feel about these questions? Do any hit a sore point with you?
Thanks, Emily
