Task 4c, an associate of mine...

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? 

Feel free to discuss with me any of these questions either here or on the SIG click here http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4318583&trk=hb_side_g

Thanks, Emily