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The Dancers World of Work

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Title: The Dancers World of Work


1
  • The Dancers World of Work
  • Entrepreneurship in Dance Higher Education

2
The Dance World
  • Dance deals in the generation of intellectual
    property through original choreography
  • that is then performed by dancers in live, filmed
    and broadcast contexts. The
  • performance is the result of many other processes
    that are essential to making it
  • possible, including management, technical support
    and training and education. This
  • means that the dancers world of work is complex.
    It is multi facetted with a
  • framework of interconnected employment sectors
    characterised by complexity,
  • creativity and dynamism.
  • This is a socio economic network.  
  • It is an aggregation of many smaller micro-worlds
    or subcommunities, a social
  • network emerging from the cooperation of these
    micro worlds all with greater or
  • lesser knowledge of the entire network.
  • These subcommunities are best viewed as art
    worlds.

3
Dance Entrepreneurship
  •  
  • The ability to balance creative independence with
    the ability to work collaboratively
  • The ability to manage artistic integrity with an
    understanding of finance and self management
  • The ability to create financial self sufficiency
    through a creative and lateral approach to the
    management of skills
  • The ability to create networks, maintain and
    manage them and communicate effectively
  • Above all the ability to be proactive, pragmatic
    and flexible
  •  
  • In addition, dancers work differently to
  • entrepreneurs in different sectors
  •  
  • Dancers work as part of a cluster, a creative
    community that brings the collective set of
    skills required to realise production and
    distribution. Collaboration lies at the heart of
    the dancers world.
  • Dancers create products that are not always
    market orientated. Instead they need to find
    markets for it after creating it. This requires
    different approaches to marketing creating
    demand rather than meeting it. This therefore
    requires an understanding of the market, its
    trends and an understanding of context and what
    has gone before.
  •  

4
Characteristics of Employment within the Creative
Industries
  • The sector is highly fluid characterised by rapid
    change
  • It is comprised of a small number of large
    enterprises and a large number of small
    enterprises with a huge number of sole traders,
    freelancers and micro businesses
  • The age profile of the sector is young with those
    working as freelancers and sole traders largely
    within the 22 40 age range, though there are
    wide variations across different sub sectors
  • Davies and Lindley (2003) found that 39 of those
    employed in cultural occupations as a main job
    are self employed. This compares with 12 of
    those in non cultural employment.
  • Permanent employment is declining and self
    employment growing.
  • Flexible employment is increasing, with multiple
    job holding and portfolio careers becoming a norm

5
The Research
  • Mapping the sector
  • Interviews with Leading Industry figures
  • Desk Research
  • Mapping HE provision
  • Desk Research
  • Questionnaire
  • Identification of Good Teaching and Learning
    Practice
  • Sampling
  • Case Studies

6
The Dance Labour Market
  • It is widely recognised that artists labour
    markets are different from other labour markets.
    (Towse, Baumol and Bowen, Throsby)
  • The labour market is fragmented and the artist
    must use their art form knowledge as a flexible
    resource for many purposes.
  • A narrow depiction of the dance world would
    revolve around those directly engaged in
    performance. But this group is small in
    comparison to other parts of the sector.
    Performers only make up a small proportion of the
    dance labour market.
  • The largest group (estimated at around 75) is
    teachers of dance.
  • There are a myriad of people supporting dance
    including those managing, presenting and
    organising it, those offering dance therapy,
    journalists and critics.
  • There is often overlap between different roles
    due to multiple job holding

7
Peculiarities of Dancers Career
  • Dancers are usually drawn to the discipline as
    young children. Their dancing life may have
    started as young as three or four and may have
    informed their overall education. Time is a major
    pressure for the aspiring performer.
  • The dancer uses their body as their instrument
    and as such there are particular issues around
    injury, ongoing training and maintenance of the
    body. Dancers need to have a good understanding
    of nutrition, health related issues and must
    maintain their own physical well being to
    minimise risk of injury
  • Dancers face short performance careers. The
    physical demands they face mean that dancers know
    that their career as a performer is likely to be
    time limited and they may have to develop a
    second career which may or may not be dance
    related at some stage. Lack of performance
    longevity means that there is a need to consider
    how a dancer can sustain a career after retiring
    from performance
  • The field is predominantly female. The demand for
    good male dancers is strong whilst it is highly
    competitive for women.

8
Employment in the Dance World
  •  
  •  

9
Dance Courses at FE/ HE Level
  • Institutions offering Dance at FE/HE and
    Vocational Levels 80
  • HE Institutions 43
  • FE Institutions 23
  • Vocational Schools 15
  • Number of CDET Accredited Institutions 15
  • CDET Accreditation of HE courses 7
  • BA Single Hons programmes 55
  • BA Top up programmes 8
  • Foundation courses 22
  • HND 7
  • National Diploma 19

10
Student Numbers
  • Full time Undergraduate places Dance
  • 2002/03 1540
  • 2003/04 1790
  • 2004/05 2335
  • 51 increase in full time undergraduate places
    since 2002/03
  • Unprecedented expansion in HE dance provision
  • Size and scale of the sector suggests potential
    over supply
  • BUT, demand for community dance artists and dance
    teachers is high

11
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12
Course ContentLevel of importance allocated to
differentareas of study within courses
  • Choreography and Composition
  • Technique
  • Theoretical Skills
  • Improvisation
  • Production
  • Management Skills
  • Education/ Workshop skills
  • HE appears to be developing conceptual dancers
    able to conceive and create work within a
    theoretical context
  • Lower importance appears given to the education
    and workshop skills which are in demand within
    the dance world
  • Management skills are ranked lower than
    conceptual and theoretical skills

13
Course ContentEntrepreneurship
  • Some Key Findings
  • The skills associated with entrepreneurship
    including Self Management, Reflection, Creative
    Problem Solving, Communication, Negotiation and
    Networking are all being taught in an explicit
    way by the majority of courses over all three
    levels.
  • Strategic thinking is more often covered in an
    implicit way (76)
  • Aptitudes such as flexibility, ability to take
    risks, work in complex situations,multi task and
    manage independently are encouraged by the
    majority of courses at all levels.
  • 82 of programmes explicitly encourage the
    ability to work collaboratively and in teams over
    all three levels
  • Knowledge of the sector (policy, infrastructure,
    support agencies etc) are delivered in an
    explicit way over all three levels
  • Knowledge of business planning, self employment,
    marketing, finance, CV writing, job search and
    audition techniques are mainly delivered at level
    3 (79) in an explicit way.

14
Links with the Professional Dance World
  • 79 of courses surveyed offer placements at level
    2 and 57 at level 3.
  • All courses surveyed work with Dance
    Practitioners in teaching, assessing and as guest
    choreographers.
  • Case studies are used as a method of teaching and
    learning with 69 of courses citing them at
    level 2 and 77 at level 3
  • 46 of the courses surveyed use professional
    artists as mentors for students at level 1
  • The majority of courses surveyed have close links
    with professional dance organisations and/ or
    professional dance companies
  • Students are gaining professional practice
    through projects which appear to support the
    dance worlds need for resources
  • There are few pure academics working in the
    field. This practitioner emphasis means courses
    are well connected to the dance world and respond
    and adapt rapidly to its needs
  • There is a direct connection between research,
    teaching and learning and knowledge transfer
    within many courses
  • Of the 8 courses sampled, 5 have recently
    revalidated or are about to revalidate to ensure
    the course remains relevant.

15
Case One Embedding Knowledge, Skills and
Aptitudes
  • De Montfort University BA (Hons) Dance
  • Interaction with professional practitioners and
    organisations enable students to appreciate
    current practice and policy.
  • This helps students form real world conceptions
    of how dance artists currently work and enables
    students (from Level 2) to begin to re-envisage
    themselves as providers
  • (rather than consumers), as professionals (rather
    than students) and as autonomous (rather than
    dependent) learners.
  • This is met by a curriculum design that enables
    increasing student choice, independent learning
    and negotiated study.
  • The Universitys Personal Development Planning
    initiatives have encouraged students to think
    more strategically about their futures from the
    start of their courses. Most students are
    thinking seriously about their futures at the
    start of year 2.
  • Students become more aware as they progress in
    the course and dialogue with practitioners and
    representatives of dance and other cultural
    organisations of the range of possible
    opportunities.
  • They begin to appreciate that career paths are
    not pre-determined.

16
Case Two Delivering Entrepreneurship in an
Explicit Way
  • Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts has
    embedded modules within the BA (Hons) Dance
    programme at all three levels that develop the
    students professional practice skills.
  • The course was designed to meet the varying
    demands of the dance profession.
  • Level One Professional Development Module
  • The aim of this module is to provide students
    with the necessary skills, knowledge and
    experience to take full advantage of their
    programme of study. The module will develop both
    the generic study skills required of an
    undergraduate and the specialist skills required
    of a student of dance.
  • Personal Development Planning (PDP)
  • Level Three Professional Preparation The
    Independent Dancer
  • This module aims to direct the student to
    organize and present themselves and their work to
    a professional level, demonstrating a thorough
    range of management, performance and promotion
    skills. This is to prepare them to seek out and
    create employment opportunities in and around
    their chosen dance field(s). They will produce a
    portfolio, including personal and company
    business plans. They will gain experience in
    audition and interview techniques and leading a
    community workshop.

17
Case Three Professional Practice and Engagement
with the Dance World
  • 'DanceUS.Com'(Dance and the University of
    Sunderland and Community)project.
  • Arts Council England / City of Sunderland funded
    programme
  • Aim is to establish the University as a centre of
    excellence for dance activity in the City.
    Provides professional practice whilst also
    meeting the needs of the community
  • The post of 'Dance Entrepreneur' - based within
    the Dance team/managed by subject/programme
    leader for dance at the University to develop a
    range of community projects, enhance networks and
    involve under-graduates in projects (on both a
    voluntary and for assessment basis). This in turn
    is generating employment for dance graduates.
  • The Entrepreneur also acts as mentor for
    students.
  • The dance team is currently working on bids for
    new projects which will also have a research
    outcome For example
  • 'Small Steps, Giant Jumps' - Healthy Nurseries,
    working in conjunction with City of Sunderland
    Family Learning to develop dance project with
    nurseries across the City (growing out of
    government papers eg Every Child Matters etc)
  • 'Down our Street' tri-partite University project
    for URBAN II funding - will address Engaging
    Young People specifically linking education to
    employment - Dance element will focus on raising
    aspirations and self esteem.
  • 'Phoenix House' working with Drug and Alcohol
    Rehabilitation Unit

18
Case FourPartnership Delivery
  • Northumbria University and Dance CityNational
    Dance Agency for the North East of England -
    partnership in developing and delivering the BA
    (Hons) Dance Choreography
  • Professional concerns, which arise through Dance
    Citys role as a producer of contemporary dance
    performance and curator of regional, national and
    international artists, informs curriculum design.
  • The collaboration enables synthesis of the values
    of professional practice and university
    education.
  • Teaching Artists, resident at Dance City, lead in
    many areas of the programme, where their
    knowledge of professional practice supports
    students in their artistic development.
  • Teaching Artists and Dance City staff lead in
    areas such as performance and dance management.
  • In addition, artists and companies visiting Dance
    City also contribute to the programme.
  • Dance City Visiting Dance Artists teach and
    assess 25 of the curriculum
  • Challenges in building a team comprising
    artists and academics
  • Students benefit from formal and informal advice
    and mentoring.

19
Case FivePlacement
  • University of Surrey offers a unique 4-year
    degree programme that has a Professional Training
    Period of 30 weeks in Level P (third year).
  • During this period, students work at a host
    organisation within the dance sector Dance
    Company Education, Dance and Disability, Dance
    Education, Community Dance or Dance Management
  • CV preparation, application and interview process
  • Three way relationship between Host/ Workplace
    Mentor, Placement Tutor and Student
  • Assessment includes high level of self evaluation
    and critical reflection
  • The year transforms people they come back as
    mature confident professionals.
  • Employability high with many students graduating
    to work with host
  • Reputation built over long period of time pre
    existing list of hosts
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