Inquiry Questions...

I am struggling to decide on the questions/objectives I will focus on researching for my inquiry. The topic I have chosen: professional commercial dancers in the UK working for low to no pay, covers such a wide area, I hope that by narrowing down the questions I intend to explore, it will enable me to provide the most benefit to those working alongside me. Here are some ideas that are of interest to me- Please feel free to comment!

Under what circumstances might a professional dancer work for low to no pay?
Finding real examples of this situation may help others to understand in which instances this may be career enhancing or of detriment to career development.

Can working for low to no pay at the beginning of you're career be considered an internship in the commercial dance industry? If so, when does it end?

How important is it to be part of a union or collective that stands up for rights of pay within the workplace? How many commercial dancers are a member of a union and are they aware of the benefits this can bring to their professional wellbeing?

Do commercial dancers feel able to speak up about inadequate pay issues in the workplace? There is often fierce competition for work in the dance industry, therefore, do dancers shy away from speaking up and asking questions to their agent or employer about financial concerns, due to fear of losing the job?

What impact does choosing to work for free have on others working within the same community that have made the decision not to do so?

What standards of pay should a commercial dancer expect within their varying workplace? Are there guidelines set out for employers? How many are aware of the minimum wage?

How can we help to educate future generations of dancers, starting their careers in this industry, about standards of pay? How many professional colleges educate their students about how to understand and cope with finances as a self-employed dancer?

Updated Rationale for Award Title!

BA Hons in Professional Practice (Performing Arts)

At the age of eighteen, I was awarded a full scholarship to attend Cambridge Performing Arts College. After studying there for three years, I achieved a Professional National Diploma in Musical Theatre (NVQ Level 6.)

Before attending CPA, I always intended to pursue a career solely in dance, although the intensive training I received at college, in all three disciplines of dance, singing and acting, helped me to realise my potential as a triple-threat performer and the advantages this can bring in the workplace. I recognised that to become highly skilled in all three disciplines opened up many new doors to me in terms of professional work available, and the career I intended to pursue.

Since 2009, I have been working as a self-employed performer and have worked extensively within the performance industry, in varying roles, spanning genres such as commercials, film, television, theatre, stage and tour. I have had the opportunity to experience working practically in all three performance disciplines within a professional company, and also on individual contracts, which is something I always aspired to achieve.

I have chosen my professional practice title to be ‘performing arts’, because this is a field of practice I have always been immensely passionate about. My horizons are often broadened with the scope of work available for trained performers that are able to offer more than one area of high level expertise. The performing arts can be applied to so many aspects of the industry, I appreciate the fact that my skills are transferable and have always used this to my advantage during castings, auditions and at work.  

I hope that this title will demonstrate to future employers that I am a determined individual with a vast amount of vocational expertise and academic knowledge in this field, together with having gained a higher level of cognitive skills during the course. My professional inquiry will focus on professional dancers in the UK working for low to no pay; the effects this is having and how we, as a collective, can try to improve the situation. I hope that by completing my research, I will gain a deeper insight into the reasons many dancers are earning below minimum wage and how I, alongside recent campaigning, can inform others of their rights and educate college graduates of what to expect when entering the professional workplace. At present, my own aspiration is to continue to establish and further my career as a self- employed performer, using the knowledge and enthusiasm that I hope to gain from carrying out my professional inquiry.

My past experiences in education have all included the ‘performance arts’, so it is essential in my mind that my award title and inquiry correspond with this. I have been on such a journey to reach this point in my studies, I know that on completion of this course, the award title BA Honours in Professional Practice (Performing Arts) is very much appropriate with regards to my previous training, my present circumstance and most importantly my future progression.

#MusicVideoContract Petition

Whilst researching literature and developing my line of inquiry, I have come across a petition launched by the recent campaign 'It's Up To Us,' by Dancers United UK. This is something I want to make other dancers aware of, so I thought I would post the link to sign the petition below. BAPP dancers, please read the excerpt below and follow the link to sign you're name and show you're support for the campaign!

"Dancers United UK and Equity have launched the #MusicVideoContract campaign. The aim of the campaign is to re-negotiate the current BPI contract for music videos. The initial contract was drafted in 1988 and updated in 1998 but has not been revisited since.

As Equity members, DUUK have access to all existing contracts and agreements for TV, Film, Commercials and more. They discovered the BPI contract for music videos and noticed how out of date it was, not to mention the fact that no one was aware this said contract even existed.

Following the success of the #ItsUpToUs campaign, DUUK are recruiting dancers to get involved with the current campaign by signing the #MusicVideoContract petition. They have set a target number of 1000 signatures to initiate the re-negotiation of the BPI contract. "

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-dancers-united-uk-and-equity-musicvideocontract-petition

What is Commercial Dance?

I am often asked this question, and it is something that I feel I need to find a comprehensive answer to! My inquiry is going to focus on the workplace of the professional commercial dancer, so I therefore need to be able to define what this genre is?

The truth is that it is an constantly changing, expansive genre, involving all kinds of media. You need to be diverse and up-to-date with the most current styles of dance to be able to work as a commercial dancer. This paragraph gives a great description of what many would consider it to be:

"Commercial refers to dancing done in concerts, live shows, music videos, movies, industrials, and, obviously, commercials. There are many different styles of dance that can be worked into the commercial category, such as hip hop, jazz, locking, popping, breakdancing, krumping, and more. Sometimes, you'll find ballet and ballroom thrown into the mix, although "street dance" is more common. Generally speaking, commercial dance is super sexy and super entertaining."  (Valiente, M. 2011)

I hope that this is helpful to those who are unsure as to what I mean when I refer to commercial dance! You do not need to be professionally trained to work as a commercial dancer, however many dancers have undergone some sort of formal training because of the various techniques and styles, and high level of performance it involves.

http://www.wetpaint.com/so-you-think-you-can-dance/articles/so-you-think-you-can-dance-101-what-is-commercial-style

Why It's Up To Us

This is a video created by choreographers and dancers working within the commercial dance industry underlining why 'It's Up To Us' to create a better working environment as dancers. They talk about how rates of pay and conditions of work have changed for  commercial dancers, especially during the economic downturn. The issues are highlighted as well as the reasons that dancers should expect to receive certain standards in the workplace and why they should respect themselves as professional working individuals.

I am so interested to hear the outlook of other performers on this viewpoint? What is your opinion? Do you think that dancers should be expected to work for free to build a portfolio of work and do what they love? Or do you think that setting yourself a standard of pay demands more respect from others as a professional individual?

http://www.dancersuniteduk.com/media/

Return to Study!

So finally I am returning to study after a VERY long interruption.  I have dedicated almost five years to my profession as a dancer and performer, and I feel I have a lot more to say now than I did when I first began the course!

Having had to change my research inquiry due it no longer being relevant or even accessible to me, I have now decided to focus my inquiry onto a topic that I feel passionately about and one that many performers may be able to relate to!

" Should professionally trained dancers within the commercial dance industry work for free?"

I want to focus on the commercial dance industry as the majority of my work as a performer lies in this area. I am so interested to find out the circumstances under which a professional dancer might choose to work for free? Having made the decision personally to never do so myself, I would like to find out what impact this may have on others working within the same industry? Are there standards of pay a professional dancer should expect in the workplace? Are there any official campaigns working to improve these standards?

These are my initial thoughts on the process... I am now researching literature and any available ideas that will help guide my thoughts and shape my inquiry!