Literature Review

Following my previous literature review, on 'Life after Dance: Career Transition for Professional Dancers', written by Joan Jeffri and David Throsby, I began to look into one of the authors, Joan Jeffri.

Joan Jeffri is the Founder and Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Culture. She is former Director of the programme in Arts Administration at Columbia University and past President of the Association of Arts Administration Educators and the International Arts Medicine Association. She has had multiple publications, and provides varying services, including: creating educational programmes, coaching, writing, research and mentorship.

Below is a link to her website, and a list of her publications:

http://joanjeffri.com/publications/

One of her publications, 'Making Changes: Facilitating the Transition of Dancers to Post- Performance Careers' (2004, with William J. Baumol and David Throsby), was used as the basis for 'Life after Dance: Career Transition for Professional Dancers' (which was published in the International Journal of Arts Management in 2006). 

The full paper on ' Making Changes: Facilitating the Transition of Dancers to Post- Performance Careers' can be seen on the link below:

http://www.tc.columbia.edu/centers/rcac/pdf/FullReport_14.pdf

'The many transfer- able skills and experience that professional dancers accumulate during their dancing years,  including self- discipline, team work, and stamina, are significant resources that are in danger of being unused as their active dancing careers come to an end'. (p. 16) 

This paper examines the main approaches used to ease the career transition process, (by dance companies, career transition centres etc.), by formulating a series of hypothesis, and testing them against available evidence. 

Multiple dancers (both current and former) across Australia, Switzerland and the USA were asked to complete a survey regarding career transitioning. It's interesting to see how the participants view this stage in their lives. Hypothesis 8 and 10, (p. 7) were of particular interest to me.

Seen below is one of the statements that 216 dancers (current and former) in Australia were asked to respond to. (p. 279) 'Many dancers do not realise that skills developed are transferable to other occupations', with the majority (115) answering agree/ agree strongly. 

If dancers were made aware that they acquire skills that are transferable to other occupations, maybe it would become easier for them to transfer these skills to other work- places, utilising them to their advantage. 

Interview Questions

During a recent telephone conversation with Paula, we discussed the direction my inquiry is taking. We spoke about 'personality tests', which had originally inspired my inquiry topic. Although they are commonly used by employers and in daily life, there is some controversy around personality tests, and it is unclear as to how they have been researched and tested, and results are measured. To use personality tests as part of my inquiry would present too many variables, which is why I decided on interviews as my inquiry tool. 

Paula and I discussed the questions I will use for my interviews. We decided that they should include key words, but should be thought of as conversational, and be open- ended, giving my participants the opportunity to discuss their experiences. 

The questions I decided on for my interviews are as below:

1. Through- out your dance training, specifically whilst at full- time dance college, what did you learn about yourself?

2. How has a practitioner, dance teacher, figure of authority, etc. influenced you in your life?

3. How would you characterise yourself?

4. What have you learnt about yourself since leaving full- time education and working as a professional dancer?

5. How do you view dancing as a profession?

6. Since leaving dance education have you ever been asked to characterise yourself/ complete personality testing by an employer? If yes, in what context? 

7. Where do you think your strengths and weaknesses lie?

8. How do you think your current employer would describe you? 

9. Which skills or characteristics do you use in your current job role? 

10. How has your dance training affected you, in non dance related areas of work? 


After conducting my interviews I will be able to analyse the answers and try to find similarities, or common themes that have been discussed by my participants. I am hoping that the results will point towards common characteristics or attributes, being used from one stage of life to another- particularly, from full- time dance training, to job roles outside of the field of dance. 

'Transferable skills are general skills you can use in many jobs. You gain these skills from previous jobs, projects, voluntary work, sport, your home life, hobbies and interests. They enable you to be adaptable and flexible in case you need to change your job'. (National Careers Service)

I will research and discuss which transferable skills or characteristics are desirable to employers,  and the benefits of personality testing in current society. 

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is a tool that I am sometimes asked to complete by my manager in my current work place. 

A SWOT analysis is a structured model that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organisation, business model or project. When completed, a SWOT analysis determines what may assist you in accomplishing your objectives, and what obstacles must be overcome or minimised to achieve desired results. SWOT analysis is a useful technique to help craft strategy, and in this case, help with the planning/ execution of my inquiry and to analyse where the weaknesses in achieving my goal may lie.    

I created my own SWOT analysis below: 


Project- Professional Inquiry

Strengths                                                                           Weaknesses

- Support from professional network,                          - Lacking in knowledge on my 
friends and colleagues to help me achieve                      inquiry subject.
desired results.

- Current literature on inquiry topic that will             - Inquiry lacks focus and a specific 
strengthen and support argument                                     desired result/ end goal.                        
                                                                                                 Terminology and language used
                                                                                                 needs to be improved. 
  
- First- hand knowledge gained from dance                 - Interview questions are vague, need
background and of transitioning to a work place            to be specific enough to give me the 
outside of dance.                                                                   information I need. 

Opportunities                                                                    Threats

- To get involved with SIG's, attend campus                    - Limited time frame to complete

sessions, communicate with BAPP Arts                              project, fitting schedule around full

practitioners and tutor to discuss inquiry topic.               time work and other commitments. 

- To discover data/ information for my line of                - Findings/ data may not be 

inquiry that could help my professional network              conclusive or produce desired 

and BAPP Arts practitioners in the future.                         results. 

- My professional network of current and former           - Participants may drop out of 

dancers, who will participate and aid with my                   inquiry at last minute. 

inquiry. 

Career Transitioning for Ex- Military Personnel

The recruitment agency I am employed by have recently introduced an Ex- Military Internship scheme. The 26 week programme gives high calibre, ex- military personnel the opportunity to transition into the commercial world. Candidates are able to take part in training courses, including Linked In and Excel, and following the internship, can apply for permanent internal vacancies. 

After a discussion with a colleague, who is ex- military and leading the new scheme, I found there to be some parallels to that of the transitioning careers of dancers. Military personnel leave the services, and similarly to dancers, have very limited experience, if any, in other professional fields, often don't have academic qualifications and find themselves with limited options in terms of career path. 

As seen below, the key words used in this advertisement, are the characteristics discussed in my previous literature review. Discipline, team work, loyalty and commitment are the transferable skills referenced in 'Life After Dance: Career Transition of Professional Dancers' (Jeffri and Throsby, 2006). 

In this instance, these characteristics are seen as attributes. This could indicate that similarly, dancers have a desirable mind set to employers and the work place.   

Literature Review

After reading through Lizzie Martin's blog, one of her literature reviews came to my attention. Her review on 'Career Transitions in Professional Dancers' (Stanley E. Greben), is of particular interest to me, as the concept of my inquiry relates to transitioning to work places outside of dance: 'The Dancers Mindset' (Are dancers able to translate their skills outside of dance?) (Do dancers have the 'winning' mind set?).

Lizzie's blog post led me to find an interesting paper published in the International Journal of Arts Management, titled 'Life After Dance: Career Transition of Professional Dancers' (Joan Jeffri and David Throsby, 2006, Vol. 8, No. 3). The paper evaluates the findings of an inquiry, by a research team from the United States and Australia, into the career transition of professional dancers. The sample comprises dancers from ballet/ classical, modern/ contemporary, indigenous/ folk, commercial/ show dance and 'other'. Surveys were conducted in three countries- Australia, Switzerland and the United States- in order to gain insights into the challenges of career change from the viewpoint of the dancer. The paper examines the findings' support of certain hypotheses, the researchers' expectations and the dancers' realities, and the differences across the three countries included in the surveys.

At the time that the paper was written, Joan Jeffri is Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Culture and the Program in Arts Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City. David Throsby is Professor of Economics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

The surveys conducted in the three case- study countries included both current and former dancers, similar to my own inquiry interview plans. The reasoning given for this, seems appropriate to my own research. "(1) It was considered valuable to elicit insights from current dancers about their expectations and preparation for transition, (2) a comparison of the expectations of current dancers and the realities of former dancers could serve to illuminate recommendations for future action, and (3) former dancers were extremely difficult to identify before the surveys were distributed; usually, they were recruited through companies and venues accessible to both current and former dancers."

The paper goes on to discuss: dancers' own awareness of the challenges they may face in career transitioning, how prepared they feel for the inevitable transition process, post- transition careers and the percentage of dancers that remain within the field of dance, the challenges presented at the end of a dance career, retraining and further education, skills acquired through being a dancer, support systems, and changes in income post- transition.

"It has become increasingly clear in recent years that career transition is a serious problem facing the dance industry worldwide." (p. 54)

Jeffri and Throsby discuss how aware and prepared dancers (current and former) feel in regards to the challenges of a career transition including physical problems, loss of income, uncertainty about the future and a sense of emptiness at having to give up something that has been an important part of one's life for a long time.  The findings show that many former dancers conceded that they were in fact ill- prepared for this process, whilst current dancers claimed to be either 'somewhat aware' or 'very aware'.

"Yet, surprisingly enough, some dancers consciously avoid preparing for transition". (p. 56)

Could Jeffri and Throsby's findings, suggesting a lack of awareness and of being fully prepared for a career transition, affect dancers' mind set? Could this lack of knowledge prevent us as dancers, from realising our potential in other fields?

"Lack of confidence to do something else and succeed makes the transition period difficult". (p. 56)

These findings point to the need for strategies to make dancers aware and prepared for transition issues, in an understanding yet re-assuring way.  

Jeffri and Throsby's findings also touch upon the skills acquired through being a dancer:

"The skills and experience acquired by professional dancers throughout their dancing years, including self- discipline, team work and stamina, are transferable resources". (p.58) 

As seen in the results shown above, self- discipline, team- work and stamina, are considered by the participants to be skills that are acquired through being a dancer, and are later found to be the most useful and of the most importance.

Could characteristics such as these be attributed to having a 'winning' mind set, or the 'desirable' mentality to employers- further afield than the world of dance? 

"The four transition centres, (established career transition centres in the UK, US, Netherlands and Canada) meanwhile, report that only 10- 15% of their clients move into a dance- related career" (Baumol, Jeffri and Throsby, 2004).

Jeffri and Throsby's inquiry presents some interesting findings, and strengthens the question: are dancers able to translate their skills outside of dance? 

"Our data on career transition for dancers suggest that expectations and realities differ. This knowledge is important not only for current and future transition centres and programmes, but also for policy- makers and funders seeking to make optimal use of the human capital from a highly disciplined, dedicated and committed workforce at the end of a special relationship." (p. 61)

Inquiry Feedback.

I have begun Module 3 by looking back at my inquiry plan, and taking in to account the feedback that I received. My inquiry: The Dancers Mindset: 'Are dancers able to translate their skills outside of dance?' 'Do dancers have the 'winning mindset'? Needs some further clarification and focus. 

For example the term 'mindset' may prove problematic and cause some confusion. I had chosen this term as it is based on a 72- question test called '3G Mindset' which was devised by Dr Paul G. Stoltz and James Reed. The test has been devised to measure personality or qualities that make up our 'mindset'. These qualities or characteristics are grouped into three categories: Global: your openness and connectivity with the greater world around you. Good: the integrity and kindness with which you consider and treat others. And grit: the toughness, tenacity, resilience and intensity with which you pursue your goals. A 'winning mindset' is the result of scoring highly in said test, and is considered by 98% in a survey of several thousand employers worldwide, more desirable in the workplace than having a perfect skill set. 

As my inquiry is trying to research the ways that dancers relate their knowledge and understanding to the work place, 'do dancers have the 'winning mindset'? May be replaced by: do dancers have knowledge of a good work ethic? Do dancers have the knowledge to pursue their goals with resilience and tenacity? Do dancers have knowledge of connectivity with the greater world around them? All of which come back to my question of: 'are dancers able to translate their skills outside of dance?' Are we as dancers, able to use our knowledge in workplaces other than the dance profession, or is there a lack of being able to communicate these benefits in other professional spheres. 

I had initially wanted to use the '3G Questionnaire' as a tool for my inquiry, asking a number of dancers to each fill out the test. I would then use this to see if any patterns emerged or if the results were similar, therefore identifying personality traits in dancers. This may be difficult to achieve on a small number of participants and it has also presented some concerns in regards to ethics and copyright. Such 'personality tests' have been subject to criticism and controversy in the past. One problem with self- report measures of personality is that the participants are able to distort or fake their answers. The results rely on the respondents to be answering truthfully. Another concern is that personality tests also assume that personality is a reliable, constant part of the human mind or behaviour. 

Interviews may be a more appropriate tool to use for my inquiry, which will provide the opportunity to question professional dancers individually about their particular experiences. As it will be difficult to develop an understanding of all dancers' knowledge in a small scale research project, interviewing a select group of dancers will enable me to interpret their experiences in more depth, and to get an idea of their own awareness of the knowledge they posses as a dancer. Gathering such data from professional dancers who similar to myself, have had experiences of professional work places both within and outside of dance, will be a useful way of understanding my inquiry topic beyond the literature.  

I will continue to fine- tune my inquiry and to develop a better sense of the tasks I will soon undertake. I'll continue to research literature that is relevant to my inquiry, and post literature reviews to my blog in the coming weeks. 

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Module two focused on the planning of our Professional Inquiries. Through discovering the process of planning an inquiry, and having so many avenues to explore, it took me the duration of the module to come to a final decision on what my line of inquiry would be.

Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry

I began the module by choosing a selection of questions that were of interest to me, and could be used as a basis for my Professional Inquiry. Looking back at Module 1, and at the questions that had emerged, I chose six, all of which I thought were relevant and could be explored further. (Appendix A)

I spent some time researching each of the six questions on the Internet. My focus was to find which had corresponding research and literature already available. I used the articles I found as a basis to giving me guidance on the direction my inquiry could take. I read into the three most prominent topics further. These topics were surrounding: physically correcting students whilst teaching dance, the support and guidance given to dancers in furthering their careers and education given to dancers in relation to healthy eating and nutrition. (Appendix B)

It was interesting to read my peers' blogs to see the various themes that were emerging. By commenting on their blog posts, I was able to consider how my questions of interest could relate to theirs. These discussions then led me to join a SIG on Facebook surrounding teaching dance, that I thought was relevant to my areas of interest. 

Professional Ethics

Reader five led us to consider professional ethics when planning a line of inquiry. On consideration, I felt that due to my past experiences teaching dance, and due to the nature of my areas of interest, dance education was at the forefront of my inquiry. 
I researched the ethics surrounding teaching dance and found some really useful information that is likely to benefit me in the future and contribute to me becoming more professional in my practice. (Appendix C)

Tools of Professional Inquiry

We began to look at the various tools we could use to go about gaining the data and information needed to support our inquiries. I decided that an interview was a tool that I could use during my inquiry, and so decided to do a pilot interview with a professional associate. (Appendix D) After the interview, I considered the pro's and con's and how it would contribute to the result of my inquiry. After some consideration, I felt that a questionnaire or survey may be more beneficial. 

I looked at the dimensions of planning an inquiry. Many questions arose, including but not limited to; the motivation behind the inquiry, who the participants of the inquiry would be and data protection. (Appendix E)

After an interesting, brain- storming Skype session with Paula Nottingham, my ideas began to take focus and I was finally able to decide on the subject of my inquiry. Having considered all of the various aspects to planning an inquiry throughout Module two, I was able to begin formulating the final plan and structure to my professional line of inquiry. 

Thoughts Following Skype Session

I had an interesting Skype session with Paula on Tuesday about the direction that my inquiry will take. 
I still hadn't finalised or come to a decision about the exact direction of my line of inquiry, and speaking with Paula was really beneficial. I now have a lot of ideas to think about, and hearing a different perspective was very helpful. 
I had initially been interested in the issues surrounding body image and diet/ nutrition in dancers, due to my past experiences during and post college. 

We spoke about my current job in recruitment, and my plans for the future and how my line of inquiry might fit in with those. I want my inquiry to be beneficial to my future career, whichever direction it might take. 
Paula commented on taking the subject of body image further, and looking at it as 'dancer mentality'- how we perceive ourselves, and managing those perceptions. 
I have noted in bullet points below some ideas we mentioned during our conversation. I would like to develop my initial ideas surrounding body image further, into how do dancers think? And how this translates outside of the dance profession?

• Body image related to dancer mentality
• A projection of our personality?
• How we perceive ourselves?
• Knowing- self and managing perceptions
• Fitting into culture outside of dance
• Personality of dancers, perception of ourselves in society
• Transferable skills
• Social media- social learning. Knowing yourself
• 'Personality tests' in modern culture

Proposed Award Title

After some consideration, I have decided that in relation to my future career development, I would like my award title to be:  BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance), the rationale behind which, I have written below.

I feel that due to my continuous training and past experiences, dance is the field where my strengths and knowledge lie, and it is also where I would like my future career to continue to take me. 

Whilst studying at The Hammond School, the syllabus had a strong emphasis on dance, particularly ballet, and while we did also study Singing and Acting, dance was the main focus. Hence, I graduated with a National Diploma in Professional Dance. Since graduating from college, I have been employed as a dancer in multiple contracts. Since 2007 I have danced in various shows and also spent a while freelancing- throughout this time I was employed in a purely dancer capacity. 

I would like my award title to be BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance) as this course is based on our professional experience. My experience to date has been primarily within dance, and it seems natural to develop my National Diploma in Professional Dance into a BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance). It is through my experiences both at dance college and as a professional dancer that have led to my line of inquiry. 

My line of inquiry, and this award title, will be beneficial to me in my future career developments. I hope to one day continue my career within the dance field as a dance teacher. My line of inquiry, although not specific to teaching dance, I hope will increase my employability as a teacher in the long- term. The findings and knowledge I will gain, through my inquiry will be passed on to my dance students one day. I hope to give them a better understanding and further education surrounding diet and nutrition in dancers. With this aim in mind, I hope this award title will be beneficial in continuing my career and securing further dance related work.  

Pilot Interview

I decided to conduct a pilot interview as my 'informal trial'. I asked a friend of mine, or 'professional associate' to participate in the interview. She currently works as a full- time dance teacher, however is oversees, so the interview was conducted over Skype. I felt that her previous experience as a professional dancer would be beneficial to my future line of questioning. 

• Before the interview

Before conducting the interview, I devised a list of questions. Although I haven't yet finalised my line of inquiry, I know that it will be something like 'how does nutritional education affect professional dancers later in life?' I used my planned questions to get an idea of what information would be revealed, and aid in the research of my inquiry. 

An example of some of the questions I asked were:

1. Did you feel conscious of your body image whilst in training?

2. Were you ever on a strict diet whilst at dance college?

3. Did you feel that you were given enough guidance and education on the importance of nutrition and healthy eating whilst at dance college?

• During the interview

I began the interview by explaining to my professional associate that the answers she gave me would remain completely confidential and that it was a 'pilot interview'. I outlined the agenda for the interview- that it would last approximately 20 mins, I would ask her around 10- 20 questions, and that if she felt uncomfortable answering any of the questions then that was fine and she didn't have to answer. 

I wrote up her answers as we were speaking which was quite time consuming and did slow down the process. As we were on Skype, there was a slight delay with some responses, which also slowed down the process. As she is a friend of mine, the interview was very informal and conversational. The questions I had prepared often led to further questions. 

• Findings

Some of the answers I was given, I found really interesting. Conducting my pilot interview has definitely been very encouraging as to where my research could take me and the results I could achieve. However, I'm not sure if interviews will be the most effective tool/ method for me to use for my inquiry. As my interview was with a friend it was very informal and relaxed and went well. I feel that for other people it could be a very different experience. Answering sensitive questions face- to- face with a stranger may be nerve- wracking and off- putting, and participants might not be as open and honest with me. This could actually be detrimental to my research. A survey or questionnaire might be more beneficial. 

The Ethical Dimensions Surrounding my Inquiry

What is the motivation behind the inquiry?

My line of inquiry will be surrounding body image and healthy eating/ nutrition in dancers, and within dance settings.
During both my time at dance college and my years of dancing professionally, body image has always been an underlying issue and sensitive subject.
Whether directly or indirectly, body image and dieting has had a negative impact on myself at some point during my career. I have also seen it have a negative impact on my colleagues/ peers at some point. I would like to help change that, using research and a line of inquiry. I am interested in researching how dancers are educated on healthy eating/ body image at college.

Does the Inquirer want to bring about a social good?

I hope that my inquiry will bring about a social good. I particularly hope that when teaching dance in the future, I am able to use my research and line of inquiry to benefit my dance students. That I am able to give them a better education surrounding body image and healthy eating and nutrition, due to my inquiry.

Who stands to benefit most from the research?

I believe that I stand to benefit from my inquiry. I hope that it will aid me in becoming more professional in my practice in the future. I am also aiming for my future dance students to benefit from my inquiry- through the knowledge and understanding I can pass on and teach to them.

Who are the participants?

I am going to endeavour to contact a range of participants. They will be: my peers that I attended college with, students that are still attending that college, past work colleagues, dancers that attend auditions/ dance classes at dance studios in central london and the dance students of a professional associate of mine. This will therefore include a varying range of ages (roughly 16- 35) and varying levels of experience.

Why were these participants chosen?

I decided to choose these participants, as it is likely that all of them will have experienced the effects of diet and body image in dance in varying degrees at some point in their life.
I feel it is important to keep my range of participants quite broad, as this will hopefully give me a wider scope to base my findings on. I feel that each of the participants I would like to get involved, can have a valuable input into my research.

How will you contact them? Will you need to talk to gatekeepers to do this?

I will contact my participants primarily via social media, for example Facebook and Linked In. I will use social media particularly to contact students from The Hammond School, those that I went to college with, and those that are still attending. I may also use groups on Facebook such as 'The Hustle' to contact other professional dancers.
I will get in touch with the principle of The Hammond School via telephone (which may need to go through the gatekeeper) or through a formal email. I will also use email as a means to contact other participants.

How will you make sure that your participants can leave the inquiry if they desire to do so?

I will make it clear when approaching my participants that their involvement is completely voluntary and that they are free to leave the inquiry at any point. I will make sure to do this verbally- if possible, and well as sending an email making it clear what their involvement will mean. I'll also make it clear that their participation, e.g. questionnaire answered will be kept completely confidential and anonymous.

Do the participants have your contact details?

Yes the participants will have my contact details. I will give them my phone number and email address. That way, If they have any questions or concerns, they are able to contact me and speak to me about it.

Are you storing the participants data safely?

Any digital data will be stored on my laptop, that only I have access to. Anything in paper format will be kept confidential and in a secure, locked place, again that only I have access to. After having used the information for my inquiry, all data will be deleted or shredded.

Ethics in the Workplace

When thinking about ethics, I considered my lines of inquiry, past experiences and potentially future ones, and it is within dance education that my questions lie, and where it is important for me to understand ethics. 

Ethical issues within dance education is a huge subject, and can include; ethics and the learning and teaching of dance, ethical practice in dance and codes of ethics, practice and conduct.  

Having taught dance myself in the past, there were many things to be considered, although at the time I wasn't given much guidance on what was expected, and what was the formal 'code of conduct'.

Through doing some research online, I found some interesting points that could be considered the correct ethics and code of conduct when teaching dance, or a good guide to base my own teaching on. 

- Dance teachers will have clearly defined aims and goals. The benefits an individual student can expect to receive through staff's conscientious implementation of these aims and goals will be clearly stated.

- Dance teachers will make sure that they are capable of providing any services claimed. 

- Dance teachers will have the experience, knowledge and/ or qualifications required for the range of levels and techniques being taught. Student teachers will be trained and supervised to ensure the school's teaching standards are maintained. 

- Dance teachers will ensure that class sizes are suitable to the levels and techniques being taught. Students in each class will be of a similar age and/ or standard. 

- Dance teachers will ensure that the dance facilities provided:
> conform with minimum safety and space requirements
> have suitable flooring, with a safe surface designed and constructed to minimise risk of injury. 

- Dance teachers will use effective and flexible teaching skills to create a productive learning environment. Dance teachers will:
> strive to communicate a love of dance
> show professional attitudes, including punctuality, reliability and responsible care of students
> strive to develop self- discipline and self- motivation in the students
> encourage and support the individual in the class situation 
> present general concepts of movement as well as those of a particular dance style. 

- Dance teachers will recognise the role of dance in the development of the whole person. They will also seek to recognise and develop each student's potential, whether it lies in dance or in related fields, and offer appropriate guidance for further progress.

- Dance teachers will endeavour to recognise physical anomalies, modifying their teaching and seeking medical advice when necessary. The teaching and choreography must be anatomically safe, and teachers must be prepared to deal with medical emergencies. 

- Dance teachers will take responsibility for seeking more knowledge in all aspects of their work. 

(Code of Ethics for Dance Teachers, Australian Dance Council, 2012)


There are aspects of ethics to consider in relation to my own research and professional inquiry. 
Things to be considered are: who will be a part of my research/ inquiry? How will i make sure they're involvement and data will remain confidential? Who will benefit from my inquiry? Are my participants taking part voluntarily? What if they no longer want to participate? And how will the use of imagery/ video affect my inquiry? 

Literature Relating to my Lines of Inquiry.

I have begun to research and develop my possible lines of inquiry further, by finding appropriate literature to help with my research. 

Using Google Scholar, I was able to find some really interesting articles relating to my lines of inquiry.
I chose to focus on three of my six questions, and find three pieces of corresponding literature.

1. Are dancers educated properly on healthy eating eating and nutrition?

'Between Scylla and Charybdis. Nutritional education versus body culture and the ballet aesthetic: The effects on the lives of female dancers', T. Benn, D. Walters- Research in Dance Education, 2001- Taylor & Francis.

http://eprints.bham.ac.uk/285/2/benn_RDE_2001.pdf

This study investigates whether improved education for dancers about nutrition has made a positive change to the body culture of the ballet world and lifestyle of female dancers. Here, an interpretive, critical research approach was used to maximise the 'insider perspective' of the researcher, who has over 20 years experience of the training and professional ballet culture.

Interview and questionnaire responses were gathered from student- dancers, professional dancers, teachers/ managers, and medics at a UK vocational ballet school and a company fed, to some extent, from that training school.

The findings indicated that there is still a gap between the rhetoric of nutritional education and the reality of the ballet world's aesthetic and practices. Whilst dancers in training were better informed, pressures related to the body inside the profession dominated attitudes and behaviour. The recommendations include a re- appraisal of the ballet aesthetic and body culture in the management of the profession and more empowerment of dancers to encourage them to question, critique and improve the culture of their art form rather than merely accept its ideals and demands.

Some of the prominent ideas and arguments resulting from this research, that stood out to me, and can be explored further were:

"In addition to the obvious technical and expressive mastery of the body, dancers also learn that controlling body shape and size is essential to success in their careers".

"There was no consensus in attitudes of students and/ or professional dancers to nutritional education, which either indicates attention to different sources or divers interpretations of information received. Nutritional knowledge levels were variable but there was a lack of awareness about risks associated with poor nutrition. this was supported by a medic with extensive knowledge of sports nutrition, who suggested that dancers' nutritional knowledge was comparatively "poor in relation to what they need and in relation to danger levels".

"All the students had received professional nutritional advice but most again considered the advice inadequate, contradictory and full of the "blindingly obvious' such as "don't drink coke and don't eat junk food". One problem identified by the medics was that specialist nutritional advice was required by the dancers and rarely available.


2. Are dancers given enough support and guidance on furthering their careers?

'The next step- career transitioning for professional ballet dancers', Hannah Bulkley, 2014.

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/18472/Hannah_Bulkley_mastersresearch2014DB.pdf?sequence=1


This research project examines the resources and support services available to professional ballet dancers on the West Coast of the United States who are interested in transitioning into other fields after their performing careers are over. It covers who provides these resources, whether it is the ballet company the dancer is employed by or by a third- party organization. It considers whether the size of the ballet company has any influence on its ability to support dancers looking into this transition.

Although this research focuses on ballet dancers, and those based in the United States, it can be related to some of my ideas behind my question are dancers given enough support and guidance on furthering their careers?

The prominent idea of this research is that while existing professional support seems to be limited, a review of professional literature reveals the field is growing, and the concern of dancers transitioning into other fields and careers after their performing careers is being addressed.

Articles mentioned in the research, focus on college program initiatives and how they can be tailored specifically to dancers. They include:
'College Programs for Professional Ballet Dancers: The Impact on Career Transitions' (Hamilton, Bristow, & Byars, 2002)
'Reflections on a Degree Initiative: The UK's Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers enter the University of Birmingham' (Benn, 2003)
'Access and Innovation: A Degree Program for Professional Dancers in Transition' (Lamoreaux & Taylor, 2008)
'Integration of a Professional Dancer into College' (Pulinkala, 2011).

These articles can be researched further, in relation to my line of inquiry.

3. Should dance teachers be allowed to physically correct students?

'A Postpositive Approach to Teaching Dance: A study on Dance Pedagogy', H Wasserman, 2013. 

http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/54663/Wasserman_Distinction_Paper.pdf?sequence=1

I found this paper by Hannah Wasserman interesting. She researches the methods used to teach dance, and although it is not specific to the issues surrounding physically correcting children in dance, it can be beneficial in researching the basic benefits to physically correcting students.

Some of Hannah's objectives of the research were to explore the appropriate student- teacher relationship, and to find the best way to deliver corrections and constructive criticism. By looking into these ideas further, they can be used as a basis to my line of inquiry. 

Module 2- making a start.

After reading through Reader 4 a few times, I'm getting to grips with the idea of a 'professional inquiry', and how questions, issues, problems, and opportunities can be developed as ways to understand practice. 

As Sarah Dunn mentions (http://sarahdunn88.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/module-2-oganisation-research.html), I also currently work full- time in a non arts related field, so I have had to re- evaluate how I will go about my professional inquiry, the sources I will draw upon, the people (friends, ex- colleagues, dance teachers etc.) that will aid and support me in the process. 

Looking back at my previous 'inquiry' task, there are some particular avenues that I have chosen to explore further, that will eventually lead to my line of enquiry, and which I hope will be relevant to my future practice within the arts. 

Is body weight and image addressed in the correct way at dance colleges?

Are dancers educated properly on healthy eating and nutrition?

Should dance teachers be allowed to physically correct students?

Do dancers have the correct transferable skills in order to be successful in other fields?

How can the mis- treatment and exploitation of dancers be prevented and controlled?

Are dancers given enough support and guidance on furthering their careers?

I have started with six questions that I am interested in researching further, so have kept it fairly broad at the moment, to see which questions gain the most response/ interest.  

I have taken my questions to a professional associate, and look forward to getting her thoughts and feedback.  I also hope to receive comments from other practitioners on the course.