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.