Where's that bullet now?...

Well, after having bitten the bullet I've certainly got my teeth stuck into it! This topic is one that is reallly gripping me... What better way to combat the woes of unemployment than to engross oneself in a project? And to base it on the very subject of unemployed dancers makes me feel as though I am tackling the problem head on and defeating not the issue itself, but its negative symptoms at least.

A section of the video entitled "Designing a research question" posted on Peter's blog hit the nail on the head in summarising how I feel about my topic choice. Around 2 minutes 45 seconds in, the speaker advises:

"Choose something that nags away at you; choose something that sort of creates an itch in your thinking, as it were; that you really really want to get to grips with, you want to solve or find out more about."

The more I put into the task at hand, the more I feel I am getting to grips with the issue of unemployment. What better motivation to drive my project forwards...




Designing a research project, 2008 [Videoclip], YouTube: strideproject.
Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEuzeL061wM [Accessed 29 March 2010].

And My Project Is...

The Effects of Unemployment on Dancers.

As Abbi quite rightly stated, it is a title that has been staring me in the face since the collapse of the company that I worked for; but after careful consideration and some extensive mind mapping, I really do feel that this topic has gripped me.


My Title:
I have not yet constructed my title, but I do know that it will be along the lines of ‘An Exploration of the Effects of Unemployment on Dancers’, with perhaps the addition of ‘...and Methods of Managing Them’.


Areas of Investigation:
I have concluded that the effects of unemployment fall into four key areas, all of which I plan to explore. These are the physical, psychological, financial and vocational effects of being out of work. This is a conclusion that I have come to based on my own knowledge of the topic, but some exploratory research may suggest otherwise.


Who to conduct my study on?
Due to the nature of our industry, most dancers will have experienced unemployment. I am looking at the personal effects that a dancer experiences under these circumstances, so any dancer’s opinion –whether currently or previously out of work- will be valid.

The term ‘dancers’ is a broad one, incorporating any form of dance, an assortment of ages, and varying levels of professional experience. I imagine this will cause a bit of a headache when it comes to composing a cross-section of dancers to research!

In terms of locating dancers, I have –throughout my training and work- developed a large network of contacts. Evidently I cannot only use personal contacts, as they will mainly be linked to the genres of dance in which I have worked, and therefore not representative of the industry as a whole. A fantastic pool of dancers will be readily available to me in London, namely at DanceWorks and Pineapple Studios, where classes and auditions in various genres occur on a daily basis. These organisations are popular amongst dancers who are seeking work or keeping fit in between jobs, making them ideal venues for me to locate people to research. I must, however, also make an effort to study dancers living outside of London. I know from personal experience that an unemployed dancer in London lives under very different circumstances to one living elsewhere in the country. Without easy access to dance classes and auditions, the effects of unemployment can feel harder to manage.


Peter’s blog has been invaluable in helping me to further develop thoughts and considerations about my topic choice. Below are some of the important questions raised in his blog entries “Setting your topic” and “Evaluating you topic” and my responses to them...


What do I know about the topic? What don’t I know?

I know that unemployment is a significant part of most dancer’s careers. (I recently heard a statistic that 85% of people in the performance industry are out of work at any given time! Of course I shall need to verify this, but it's a pretty clear indication of the nature of the profession.)
I know that unemployment personally affects me, and that I can find the situation difficult to manage.

I don’t know if the way in which it affects me is representative of other dancers - if my personal ‘symptoms’ of being out of work are common?

I don’t know the methods that other dancers use to manage the situation.


...So, I want to find out how unemployment affects other dancers.

-What are the common/main effects of unemployment?
-What methods can be adopted to manage the situation?


Is the research feasible?

Resources: My resources will be dancers, of which there are certainly plenty in London as previously mentioned. It will be feasible to incorporate my research into the trips I often take to London, and also to use the network of dancers I know based in other locations.

Skills: I have a personal understanding of the topic as a starting point.

Time: Provided I don’t make my topic too broad, time should not be a problem. There are always dancers out of work, so I am not limited to carrying out my research during a specific window of time.


Is the topic interesting?

It is certainly a relevant topic for anyone associated with the performance industry. I hope that my findings will be insightful, and that they will help people to learn more about the effects and management of unemployment past simply their own experiences. By learning how others deal with the situation, individuals have the opportunity to improve their own personal practice if necessary.


Is the topic novel?

I think so, but I need to check to see... I’ll let you know!!


Is the research ethical?

I don’t envisage my research running into too many ethical issues, but I must be careful when exploring the financial effects of being out of work. Finance is a personal and sometimes sensitive area, so I must seek advice on how far I am allowed to take questions of a financial nature. I must also carefully consider my exploration of the psychological effects on dancers. To gain a true insight I will require a great deal of openness from those I am researching, which often requires a good trust-relationship to be built up. Where possible, the promise of confidentiality and anonymity may be of benefit to these areas of my research.


Is the research relevant?

Most certainly!

i) Can it improve practice?
Not the principle issue of unemployment itself, but the practice of managing its effects

ii) Can other people use it to investigate further?
On an individual basis, I hope my project can facilitate the improvement of personal management of unemployment.
To further my project, other people could certainly look to investigate how organisations –such as dance studios, agencies and audition websites- help dancers who are out of work, and what improvements could be made to them.


And to one of my favourite questions of Peter’s: ‘So What?’

In terms of the industry: Unemployment is a relevant issue that virtually every dancer will experience. Admittedly, my project will not tackle the issue of unemployment itself. It is an inevitable feature of the industry, and pretty much an unwritten agreement between a dancer and their profession. BUT, despite its inevitability, it is a major downside to the job, and one that I want to research how to manage.

=Research that will apply more to the individual dancer than to the industry in general (which is too big a monster to tame!!)

In terms of practice: My research could be furthered to improve practice in existing –or perhaps new- organisations that are used by unemployed dancers, but I envisage focusing primarily on improving individual practice through my project.

[Especially as I am an individual within the industry at the time of selecting my topic –ie, not currently part of a company/organisation. Therefore my individual practice is the only one readily available to me! Interestingly, the largest group within my industry at any given time is those who are out of work. They are all individuals, with only their circumstances causing them to be a part of this ‘group’ (rather than their geographic location, or company name badge, so to speak). So, to investigate and improve the practice of the ‘group’ I must focus on and deliver suggestions about individual practice. In conclusion, I hope that my project will benefit the largest sector of my industry. This sector is not an official organisation, merely a statistic, so it therefore receives little help and attention.]


Does anyone else care about what I find out?

My topic will be relevant to plenty of others, but whether they will be as thirsty for advice as I am is yet to see! I may find that unemployment is far less of an issue for everybody else than it is for me. Perhaps no one else is particularly bothered?!


And finally: Do I want to share these burning questions of mine with the world?!

I do believe unemployment to be a sensitive issue, for me anyway. I would rather brush over my current circumstances and pick a study area that doesn’t highlight my employment status to other people in such a glaringly obvious manner! However, learning to deal with periods of unemployment is vital for most dancers, and something you certainly don’t learn how to deal with when you are spending six days a week in the studio training for the profession. I hope that by addressing the issue head on I can help myself and others to eliminate any shame in the situation (should this be applicable), and to discover the best possible methods of managing it.

Thoughts on the Position of a Worker-Researcher:

The dual role of a Worker-Researcher comes with simultaneous advantages and disadvantages. This is an inevitable consequence of adopting two opposing positions. However, provided the disadvantages are recognised and managed well enough, the benefits of such a powerful combination of roles can be very rewarding.

The immediate advantage that a Worker-Researcher, as opposed to an outside researcher, has is a previously acquired knowledge of their organisation. This allows easier access to interviewees and to company data, as the Worker-Researcher can use contacts that have already been established. Another important advantage is that a Worker-Researcher is often more qualified than an outside researcher to identify an area that requires improvement. A Worker-Researcher has first-hand experience of the day to day running of their company, so is familiar with the areas that run efficiently, and with those that are more problematic, or cause unrest amongst fellow employees.

However, the fresh view of an outsider can bring many advantages too. They may not be considered qualified by the organisation to waltz in and suggest possible alterations, but it is easier for an outside researcher to make objective observations, and to therefore carry out neutral research with reliable results. Without any personal attachments to the organisation, the outside researcher is more likely to analyse its structure in a straightforward manner, without any preconceptions or bias.

‘Preconceptions’ and ‘bias’ are two words which highlight the main disadvantages of adopting a Worker-Researcher position. In order to deliver accurate results, research needs to be carried out in as neutral and fair a way as possible. When one researches an area of an organisation with which they are very familiar, one is prone to anticipate the outcome of the investigation. This can affect the way in which information is collected, with, for example, the researcher devising surveys that lead the participant towards particular answers. This does not necessarily mean the researcher has intentionally created a bias survey, but subconscious expectations of its results can influence the composition of a survey. Once the information has been collected, a Worker-Researcher’s preconceptions are also likely to affect its interpretation. One must be especially cautious when the research is of a qualitative nature, as the results are not always clear cut and can require some interpretation by the researcher.

I do, however, feel that there is one overriding advantage to research within an organisation being conducted by a Worker-Researcher. In many cases, research is carried out with a view to discovering improvements that could be made to existing practice. If an investigation ascertains a change that an organisation would benefit from, it is far more likely that the change will be trialled –and if necessary maintained- should the researcher suggesting it be continually present within the organisation.

Time to Bite the Bullet...

These past few weeks have not been the best of my life: with the company that I danced for folding, leading me to move back in with my parents and to start looking for new work.

To lose a job is tough for anyone, especially when it's one that you deeply loved, gained a lot from, and had fantastic colleagues to work with. However, for a dancer you don't only lose your job but also your lifestyle. To secure your next job, fitness needs to be maintained to as high a standard as possible; but without daily classes and rehearsals your previously attained standard of dancing is sure to slip, unless you pay to attend public dance classes all day everyday.. but money doesn't grow on trees and, oh yes, you don't have a job anyway. There are also the psychological effects to consider. Dancers thrive on the thrill of performing, and on spending hours upon end in the studio; so without a regular dose of rehearsals and performances, it's easy to feel less and less like one. This loss of identity is difficult to cope with as, in the case of many professional dancers, it is a vocation that you'll have been living, eating, breathing and sleeping for most of your life. A dancer's mentality is equally as important as their physicality. This applies to the times when you are in work and performing, but even more so to when you are unemployed and competing against hundreds of others for your next contract.

The unexpected turnabout of my situation has left me struggling for ideas as to the direction of my project. The aforementioned 'loss of identity' is something that I am currently experiencing, so to choose a topic from my 'work-place' is something that is, at this point, confusing and frustrating for me. Had this module come about a few months ago, I would have had a clear understanding as to my position and identity within both my company and my industry as a whole, making my thoughts on a project topic much easier to organise.

Until now, I have been skirting around the issue of actually selecting a topic, simply studying the module handbook, Bell book and blog entries from a general perspective. I think I've been half-hoping that one of the two auditions I've recently done would land me an instant contract; that I'd be back working as a dancer and once again feel established enough within the industry to justify my researching an area of it. Despite two fantastic and very enjoyable auditions, I don't yet have any contracts to sign, and must accept the reality of a dancer's working life being uncertain and without much structure or stability. It's time to bite the bullet and throw myself into some structured and organised studying, in spite of the current unstructured and disorganised section of career path that I am walking through.