Cultural capital or Habitas of dance

Since the campus session in November,  I have been considering what the cultural capital or habitas of my area of professional practice might be as a dancer. A cultural capital or habitas is basically the underlying, un official code of conduct within your work place but a lot of the time it is not stated, it is simply understood by anyone within the profession. Those from a different work setting may find some aspects of the habitas quite odd.

I came up with the following ideas for a ballet dancer's cultural capital or habitas:

• Appearance: women are expected to have their hair neatly tied back and be well groomed, even just for class or rehearsal. Men have to wear tights or shorts.
• It is not advisable to sit around in the studio, if the dancer is not being used they should be practicing.
• It is not a good idea to obviously shadow another dancer unless you have been asked to do so. If you do the other dancer may become offended and think that you are stealing their part.
• The director's word is final even if you disagree it is not advisable to argue. The dancer needs to just nod and agree a lot of the time.
• Often dancer's are used to close physical contact so it is quite normal to hug each other when greeting. Anyone outside of the profession can find this quite odd!

Task 6C Award specialism title draft

I have decided to select the title of BA (Hons) Professional Practice in Arts (Dance) as my award specialism title.

I have selected this title because my area of professional practice is classical ballet and I intend to continue working in this area in the future. The title I have chosen for my professional inquiry is ‘What elements of Anna Pavlova’s performance had such a large impact on the audience and are these elements still relevant to audiences watching ballet today? Therefore, it seems appropriate to choose the award specialism title which focuses on the area of dance for my degree.

Through this inquiry I seek to uncover the elements of Anna Pavlova’s performance which had such a large impact on her audience, exploring whether these elements are still wanted by audiences of today. It is important because I, as a freelance ballet dancer, want to be able to reach current audiences with greater impact.  Both through my performance of Pavlova inspired dances and some newly choreographed pieces I am creating. I will benefit from understanding what audiences are seeking today and hopefully audiences will ultimately benefit from my understanding, in the work I go on to deliver to them.

A collage which I created

Tasks 6A & 6B Tools and pilot questionaire

Interviews

I am intending to do two interviews. One of a female freelance ballet dancer of today and one of a marketing officer from a leading UK ballet company - this needs to be someone who will have information regarding box office sales.

This method will be useful to gather data as it will allow me to ask the participant to elaborate on their answers if necessary. I intend to use a semi-structured approach with open questions because I want to gather as much information as I can.

The interview with the dancer is likely to be a great deal more informal than the one with the marketing officer, as the questions will relate more to the way she has felt about her connection with the audience in certain performances. I will be asking her in which situations she received the most recognition from her audience. I will then be comparing the situations which she comes up with to the situations in which Anna Pavlova had a particularly powerful effect on her audience and analysing if the audience is responding to the same elements present in Anna Pavlova’s performance or different elements.

The other interview will have set questions to do with the way the company functions around its audience, what performances sell best and what does not sell so well. However, I still want to use a semi structured approach here too.

The only draw back to interviews is they are very time consuming, definitely worthwhile for all the information generated though. If at all possible, I would like to do face to face interviews but I may have to use a telephone interview. I will avoid using skype as the connection can be very bad in North Wales and I would not want to appear unprofessional by having to keep asking the interviewee to repeat what they had just said.

The idea of an interview makes me quite nervous! I think I find it hard to be the one conducting the conversation. Maybe I am used to be being dictated to?

Focus groups

I am intending to do a performance at my local town hall of solo dances. Some will have been inspired by Pavlova, some will be my own more neo classical choreography and I will embody as many of the elements I have identified as being the most significant to Pavlova’s performance as I can. The performance will be to an invited audience of at least 10 people (I will send out 25 invitations and the performance will also be open to the public). Ideally there will be at least 2 people from 5 different age categories. This audience will form a focus group, they will have previously signed a consent form in response to my invitation, stating that they are willing to watch the performance and then fill out a short questionnaire afterwards, giving their views on what they have seen. This focus group will give me an insight into what a small audience of today may feel about the elements which were most significant in Pavlova’s work. I will also be able to assess how different ages may affect what audiences are seeking although obviously this is a very small scale inquiry. I will analyse the responses with a coding system.

Looking at Documents

In order to fully answer the historical aspect of my question into why Anna Pavlova had such an impact on her audience, I will be using literature to back my inquiry. I will also be using it to explore what particular dance performances are popular with audiences of today, such as Mathew Bourne and investigating why this might be the case.

Literature will be very beneficial, as it will be a reliable source of information. However, care must be taken when using this tool to ensure that I do not become bombarded by other people’s research, especially as I love to read and research through books and this method of learning comes more naturally to me. It is essential that I keep to a select number of books to ensure that the inquiry is my own and not a reprint of other literature.

I am intending to approach the theatre where I will be conducting an interview and ask for access to the archives of the ticket sales of Anna Pavlova’s performances. I will then compare the sales with the information about what is popular with the audiences to today I have gathered from my interview with the theatre official.

I will not be using journals or diaries as I feel the time constraints of the inquiry would make it difficult to access them and draw the necessary data. Also, it would be a challenge to get hold of diaries of audience members.                                                                                     

Surveys or Questionnaires

Yesterday I did an informal trial of a questionnaire for my brother, Michael, who is also a dancer and whom I have in my special interest group. I tried out the way in which I would like to do the questionnaire by getting him to watch a 7 minute video clip of Anna Pavlova and then fill out a questionnaire on how he felt about what he had watched. From the trial I discovered that this method is going to be the right method to use for the ‘invited audience focus group’ who will be attending a performance which I give. Although normally in a focus group, data would be generated in the form of interviews, I feel that in order for the audience members to give an honest response to my dancing, they will want their responses to remain anonymous. Therefore, I have decided that it is better to provide a short questionnaire with interview style questions. This way people are able to make criticisms which they may not feel able to make to my face. The only problem with this method is that I am reliant on the one response to each question and I cannot ask the participant to develop what the mean further. However, I feel that I should be able to address this by ensuring I use very clear questions on the questionnaire sheet. I am aware that it is more unusual to use questionnaires in this way, especially in a focus group setting however, I intend to analyse them with a coding system in which I draw an analysis from the positive, negative or neutral statements. I will use them in a qualitative rather than quantitative fashion.  This tool is not going to make a numerical influence to my inquiry, it is more an insight into a current small audience’s view point.

Observations

I will be observing two different productions in performance by a lead UK ballet company (the same one that I am connected to through the interview). Identifying the most significant elements of the dancing and exploring whether these relate to those present in Anna Pavlova’s performance. This will be covert observation, but the company will remain anonymous so that the inquiry will not cause harm to any parties involved. As the observation will be from my view point, I will be drawing up an observation plan sheet with key questions relating to different aspects of the performance to avoid personal opinions taking over. I will draw up a set of reasons why the performance might be relevant to audiences today and another set for why it might not be. I will address the overall elements of the dancing rather than referring to specific individuals to avoid them being identified. I will mostly write notes during the interval and after the event, but I will write trigger words throughout the performance to ensure I absorb as many details as possible. If someone notices me doing an observation I will have sheets of paper with me summarising the nature of my inquiry which I will give to them. It will clearly state that it is analysing the different ballets being performed today and the ways that they might appeal to a modern audience for an inquiry which is investigating what current audiences are seeking in ballet. Bell (2014, p. 214) states that it is essential to observe and record in an objective a way as possible. Therefore, I will constantly be reminding myself to look at the performance from different perspectives noticing aspects which the rest of the audience responds to with applause or laughter.

 Bibliography

Bell, J and Waters S (2014) Doing your Research Project, first published 1987. England: Open University Press 

Module 2 Handbook (2017) BAPP Arts, Middlesex University, London: Middlesex University

Developing ethical frameworks for my inquiry

Through careful study of Part 5 I have come up with the following ethical framework for my professional inquiry.

My participants are a freelance female professional ballet dancer, a marketing officer (although I am still waiting on clarification of the exact person I would need to speak to) from a leading UK ballet company who has access to information regarding box office sales of different productions, a small focus group of ten people who will fill out short interview style questionnaires after watching a performance I give. The focus group will have participants from five different age categories, they will be of different genders and at least two of them will have little experience of watching classical ballet.

I have chosen the freelance ballet dancer because she has worked across a wide variety of contexts and I am hoping to get an insight into where she as an artist felt the deepest connection to her audience - in what roles and in which contexts. In a way Anna Pavlova could be considered a freelance ballet dancer of her time and so I felt that interviewing a freelancer of today will help me to gain insight into what elements of a performance audiences appreciate today.

I have chosen to interview a marketing officer from a ballet company because I want to discover which of their performances sell best and what is in least public demand. I am hoping to illuminate the extent to which the audience contributes to the decisions made about repertoire for each season. This will help me find out what the current trends are in ballet and analyse the possible reasoning for this.

I have chosen to invite an audience to watch me dance because I need to be sure of adequate numbers. The performance will however be open to the public and I will have extra questionnaires and consent forms for anyone else wishing to participate in the interview/questionnaire sheets. I have chosen my participants to ensure a full spectrum of ages and experience of watching dance. Even though this is a small number of people, it is still an audience of today and therefore the reading is still valid.

I will contact the freelance ballet dancer who I already have some connection with by email asking for her consent to participate, she also has my email address.

Contacting the ballet company l is going to be a slightly more complicated procedure as I will need to go through the gate keepers of the company in order to find out exactly the person with whom I need to speak. I will have to receive ethical permission from the company as well as the official I interview.

I intend to send out invitations to people to attend the performance, explaining the exact nature of the inquiry and how the information in the questionnaire sheets will be used.

In the event that the freelance ballet dancer refuses to participate in the inquiry I will have two more people as back-up, who I will contact if necessary after I have received an answer from my first choice.

I have a number of possible UK ballet companies lined up to approach so that if one refuses I can approach another.

I will send invitations out to 25 people for the local performance so that I will hopefully end up with a at least 10 definite audience members.

All names will be protected and participants will remain anonymous. They will simply be referred to as a female freelance ballet dancer, marketing officer of a ballet company (although I have yet to find out the exact title of the person I will interview) and audience member (60+ category, female)

I intend to propose interview and questionnaire questions in which I only ask what is necessary, which are not leading and do not pre-empt the response of participants. I will send out letters or emails explaining exactly the nature of the inquiry, how the participants information will be used and for how long it will be kept. There will be a page which they will need to sign and send back to me to give their consent to being involved in the project. The children under the age of 18 who fill out the questionnaires will have a consent section which needs to be filled out by the parents.  I will be completely honest with the reporting of the data I gather and never change what has been said or just use selected material to suit my personal view point.

The performance I put on will be a free event at my local town hall. I will fund the venue myself but will ask people attending to give donations if they wish. I realised that if I am going to have an invited audience I cannot expect them to pay and therefore it would be discriminatory to charge members of the public who may wish to come to the performance, to have some people attending for free and others paying would not fit in with my inclusive ethical outlook. I hope that at the same time as being beneficial to my inquiry this event will also bring in people who may otherwise not attend a ballet performance because they cannot afford to pay for a ticket. I will use it as a means to broaden the audience for dance in my local area. By having the event open to the public, I will also be able to see how popular a performance of this sort is and by making it free there can be no financial influences, i.e ‘they felt it was too expensive’ and this will further influence the outcome of my inquiry.

I will clearly cite all the resources I use in my inquiry these will include all literature, videos, photos, programmes and live performances I watch which have any impact on my inquiry

Reviewing part 5: ethics

After looking at part 5 I have discovered many more ethical implications to the inquiry I have been planning. I really opened my eyes to see that what I think of as being the right thing to do, might be considered wrong by someone with a different ethical outlook.  The different theoretical approaches are helping me to consider issues from all angles.

For instance, consequentialism is where the good is maximised for the greatest number of people, so to kill one person in order to save the lives of ten others would be considered morally right.

Deontology is where an action is only right if there is good will and only good will behind it.

The virtue ethicist’s approach is where the moral behaviour and character of the person carrying out an action are the most important factors in considering whether something is right or wrong.

I have realised that as a person and a dancer I have am probably a virtue ethicist. I have been able to identify this by noticing that often someone can say or do something which other people tell me was wrong and I will usually find a way to justify their behaviour. I will do this by looking deeply into their character and often finding insecurities and personal problems which have led them to these actions. I can very easily forgive people for something hurtful when I know that deep down they are good people but have inner personal difficulties which are what ultimately may be responsible for their actions.  

When carrying out my inquiry I intend to continue looking from all of these angles to see which best fits the purpose of my inquiry.  Throughout the historical part of the inquiry into Anna Pavlova I can also apply these approaches to help unveil her values as an artist.

With regard to professional ethics I have been very interested in the article which Part 5 of this Module signposts you to called A dancer is a person by Sho Botham. This article deals with issues regarding the approach taken to teaching dance. It highlights that dancers must be treated like people and valued for the people they are, not only for the skill or talent they possess as a dancer, if they are to reach their full potential. It argues for the benefits of a more holistic approach in which the person and dancer are equally respected. I found this article very insightful because I have experienced certain approaches to teaching to be very detrimental to my health and happiness, but never noticed that it was the teachers with the people centred approach which have ultimately drawn the best out of me. It has given me a new outlook on my practice where I feel a right to receiving acceptance and respect as a person as much as a dancer.

Bibliography

Botham, S. (2000) ‘A dancer is a person’ Journal of Dance Medicine and Science , Vol 4, No. 4, p.146.  Available at: http://www.ethicsdance.co.uk/resources/downloads/A-Dancer-is-A-Person.pdf (Last accessed 12 November 2017)

Module 2 Handbook (2017) BAPP Arts, Middlesex University, London: Middlesex University

Campus Session 7th November

This was the first campus session which I had attended and I have to say it was great to discuss with other people face to face rather than virtually. At the session I enjoyed the company of Adesola, Amanda and Eleanor Byrne as well as a number of other people on skype. Amanda and Eleanor are also on Module 2 so it was a really productive few hours.

Professional Artefact

Adesola started the session by getting us each to choose a game which we then played. I must admit I was a little bewildered as to what this had to do with our degree at first but Adesola soon enlightened me! Adesola was helping us to understand what a professional artefact was. Although we do not have to directly study this in Module 2, as it only comes up in Module 3, it is very important that we understand what the concept is now. What was revealed was that in the games we had played there was a sort of mutual understanding between all of us which did not necessarily rely on words.

Some words which emerged relating to this understanding were inherent, circumstantial, culture that starts to build, body language,

 This sort of communication has similarities to our professional habitus or cultural capital. For example, in the field of ballet there are certain forms of communication which are simply the norm if you are an insider in that area of practice. However, if someone from a different area of practice was to walk into that situation they would not necessarily understand this communication. For instance, the lack of dialogue between an employer and a dancer in rehearsal, the appearance of well- groomed hair and tight- fitting practice clothes. Practicing on the side of the studio if you are not being used. All these points relate to a special kind of communication which is inherent to our professional practice.

The professional artefact is basically a way to share your inquiry with others within your professional practice who may not be able to relate to an essay. The artefact is not the result of the inquiry it is a way of sharing what you have learned in a way which fits in with your practice. It could take the form of a performance in which you explore the elements uncovered from your inquiry for example. It is not something that should be planned until the end of your inquiry as it will emerge throughout the course of the study.

It was discussed how the professional artefact is important because if you can only explain your inquiry one way, it is really not your work. It is essential to be able to explain your inquiry both in the university language and the artistic language.

Other themes discussed

Adesola encouraged us to really notice everything and everyone in our practice and not to allow our university work to be somehow separate from our professional practice.

• It is really important to know how you are going to analyse data such as interviews and questionnaires before making a decision on what types of data you are intending to use.

• The analysis is simply something you are going to do with the data, literature and comparisons and from this analysis themes will emerge.

• When exploring an historical figure as I am with Anna Pavlova it is also important to look into the ethical background and implications of them historically.

• A particularly enlightening statement that Adesola made was that the art is in the planning of the inquiry not necessarily the outcome and that if it all works out something has probably gone wrong!

• Adesola also reminded us of the importance of stating our professional practice when we are working as this is often an area people tend to forget about!

• When submitting Module 2 we are now allowed to put our whole portfolio into one word document with a contents page at the top.

• I am now in the process of deciding on the tools for my inquiry and getting my draft inquiry plan and critical reflection done.

Reflections on one to one chat with Hopal

Yesterday I had a highly beneficial phone tutorial with Hopal, after which I have had a much clearer idea of what I am doing. I must admit that before this chat, I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed because recently I have had so many different questions going round in my head I did not know what to do with them! I was starting to feel more and more that the area I was looking at from my inquiry 'How does audience opinion affect the dancer' was simply too broad and not really the question that I wanted to look at.

What I realised is that as an individual learner I am much better if I am focusing on a historical figure. I really discovered this in Module 1 when I was looking into who I admired, as they were all dancers from previous eras. The person who has always inspired me is Anna Pavlova and as I am currently performing dances that she also performed and performing in more unusual contexts, like care homes and children's book shops, in front of people who do not have such easy access to ballet, Pavlova has begun to have even more of an impact on me as a performer. I am really wanting to know how I can further develop my dancing to have a greater impact on my audiences. So the questions began to emerge What was it about Anna Pavlova that had such an impact on the audiences she performed for? How Might I develop my dancing to touch audiences with greater power?

However, I was worried that doing a more historical inquiry would be problematic when it came to interviews and questionnaires. So I spoke about all of this with Hopal, she was really helpful as she said that she did not think doing a historically based project would be a problem , although a little more unusual, just so long as I am careful to situate myself in the present. She helped me to see all sorts of other threads to the inquiry, many of which related to the topic area I have been looking at previously relating to the audience. She spoke of how I might explore the audience/dancer connection, why are audiences touched by certain performances, does this have to do with certain eras and what people find applicable to them in different historical periods. This got me thinking, if Anna Pavlova had been a dancer of today she would have had a different training and would be a different dancer, but if she was the same person with the same artistic vision, how would she have reached a modern day audience?
Hopal suggested that I could look into arts centres or theatres and see how the audiences affect the dance which they show at the theatre, see what sells best, this could be one of my interviews. Many ideas began to emerge including the idea of putting on a performance based on Anna Pavlova's work and providing questionnaires for audience members to see how the work impacts them today. She also spoke of Liz Lerman who has apparently done a lot of interesting work on the audience and dancer relationship. So I am going to research her and see how all of these ideas can help form my inquiry.

After reading and thinking today I think I have come up with my true inquiry question which is

What elements of Anna Pavlova's performance had such a large impact on the audience and are these elements still relevant to audiences of today? 

I now need to go back and do more literature reviews but I feel that I am finally embarking on an inquiry which I am truly passionate about and one which will have a long lasting affect on my practice as a ballet dancer.

5b) Codes of Practice which steer my professional work place

Because I am working freelance  in a variety of different contexts at the moment it has been difficult to locate any set sources for the codes of conduct which may apply to me. So I did some research on the 'People Dancing: the foundation for community dance' website and found the professional codes of conduct applying to individuals registered through the organisation. I thought this would be the closest I could get to relevant codes of conduct for myself. Through looking at the website I also decided that I would like to join 'People Dancing' too as it is such an amazing organisation and gives members a lot of guide lines and benefits. The website divides the code of conduct into 4 sections, 'Professional Competence', 'Responsibility', 'Safety' and 'Working with People'. Then there is the commitment to the code of conduct.
Compared to the list of ideas I created for the codes of conduct applying to my professional practice last week, I found a lot of other points which had not occurred to me. I have recorded these points below.


   'Professional Competence' section:

· What seemed especially apparent was the need to have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience for the work I do and recognising the boundaries of my knowledge. This had not occurred to me as I suppose it is often something which is taken for granted.

· I also found that I had forgotten to talk about the need to be truthful and honest about qualifications and experience, again because I know what I qualifications I have does not mean that everyone else does and I need to ensure I am clear about presenting everything in advance.

· The importance of continuing to develop your skills and abilities through ongoing professional development and keeping up to date with new legislations and developments.

· Responsibility for ensuring others understand what I do.

 'Responsibility' section:

· Honesty, effective communication, thorough preparation, discussion with others to ensure the nature of my work is clearly presented.

· Locate and engage the necessary support required.

· Ensure paperwork and admin are covered.

· Charge appropriate amounts for the work that I do.

· Ensure the good quality of the work of other's who may work in my absence.

· Maintain good appearance and behaviour.

· Monitor my work and take feedback from others.

· Reflect on my work and apply what I learn to improve my work.

· Always fulfil obligations. 

 'Safety' section

• I must keep up to date with legal and statutory requirements.

• Have knowledge of professional responsibilities and liabilities and use these in my work.

• Ensure coverage from insurance.

• Take out the necessary risk assessments.

• I must do all I can to ensure safety of participants. In the event that there is doubt of safety, I should not undertake the project or event.

• Encourage participants to take active responsibility for their safety and welfare.

• Monitor, record and or report any issues of confidentiality and consent.

• Set and agree to appropriate personal boundaries to ensure the integrity of relationships with participants and employers.

'Working with People' section

• Be open, encouraging and adopt a sensitive manner to create an inclusive environment.

• Create time and space to build relationships in order to understand the personal needs of participants.

• Invite feedback and encourage input from others.

• Enable and assist individuals to make independent choices and decisions.

• Respect and acknowledge the position, experience and expertise of other specialist staff.

• Awareness of my own responsibility for personal wellbeing and encourage others to also do the same.

I was quite surprised by the detail of the code of conduct and interested to see how much I had not thought of. In my own list I had concentrated mainly on more focused areas where as the 'community dance' code of conduct breaks down many of the areas I was looking at in to further detail. It urged me to consider many more ethical areas relevant to my work.

 Bibliography

Professional code of conduct (no date). Available at: https://www.communitydance.org.uk/membership-services/professional-code-of-conduct Accessed 29/10/2017

A Sleeping Beauty Workshop at Button and Bear children’s Book Shop

Yesterday I ran a Sleeping Beauty workshop for children between the ages of 4 and 6 with The Ballet Pod, in a children’s bookshop in Shrewsbury. First of all we stood in the window of the bookshop in costume. I was dancing Princess Aurora, Michael Prince Florimund and Clare The Evil Fairy Carabosse. We stood very still occasionally changing our positions for half an hour! Then we went into a special woodland room that the bookshop has, with magical wall paper and fake grass on the floor to give our workshop. First, we read them the story of The Sleeping Beauty, then we taught the children two fairies dances, mime from the prologue, an improvisation with a rose to the music of the Rose Adagio and a finale. Then they performed it all for their parents! It was interesting to see how excited they all became when their families came in to watch and actually, they remained very concentrated. Often, I notice that children can forget what they have learned when they are being watched by an audience but this was not the case for these children! Perhaps the magic of the story had them entranced! In an hour they learned a great deal and performed very well! The audience of loving parents was warm and I also enjoyed dancing for them, even though pointe work on the grass was slightly challenging!

The other challenge was that one child came late about half way through. Obviously, initially she did not really feel a part of the group so she did not want to join in. We tried to welcome her and invite her in but she was very shy. Eventually after eating a ginger bread with the other children, she joined in for the performance and did admirably! It was lovely to see that the audience seemed to help her to join the group rather than intimidate her.  

I have included some photographs from the event. All parents signed consent forms for their child to be photographed for our publicity purposes.

Task 5a) Codes of practice applying to me when bringing dance to community settings

I have been considering the codes of practice which may apply to me when I am working in care homes for the elderly and bookshops, bringing dance to the community. I came up with the following ideas.

• The dancer should use a professional and positive manner when speaking and communicating.

• The dancer should adhere to schedules and timings agreed upon prior to the event.

• A dancer should be clear about what is being presented and adapt it according to the audience. Taking into consideration the age and ability of participants/audience members.

• Consultation must take place with officials of the business for which the dancer works, such as the outreach officer or manager before the event takes place to ensure that the nature of the event ties in with the business/ charity.

• If there are participants or audience members with specific needs/requirements these must be discussed with carers, officials, parents or guardians so that strategies can be produced to ensure all participants and audience members can enjoy the event.

• The dancer should respect each individual with whom they work, ensure that everyone is treated with equal attention and encourage everyone to participate as fully as they can within their own personal boundaries.

• The dancer must pay close attention to the health and welfare of the individual during the time that they are working with them.  Immediately informing carers, parents or guardians if there is any cause for concern.

• The dancer must be very careful when making any physical contact with participants. If this is the nature of the event it must be clearly outlined and where necessary it must be ensured that all parties have signed consent forms for this.

• The dancer must ensure that they receive signed consent forms for photographs and videos and these consent forms must disclose how the photographs may be used. In the event that one party does not give consent they must not be included within any photographs or video footage.

• If the dancer wishes to use any information about the event afterwards on a blog or for reflective study purposes, they should take care not to name any participants and be careful about the information they display such as the place of the performance if detailed information is given.

• Any helpers or co-workers must also be aware of the procedures.

Task 4D) Final Literature Review

Literature Review of The Philosophical aesthetics of dance: identity, performance and understanding

Graham McGee, author of The Philosophical aesthetics of dance: identity, performance and understanding is a professor of Philosophy at The University of Brighton. His book explores the philosophical aesthetics of dance. It focuses on dances as performing art works – performables. It raises questions on the identity of dance works by exploring the notion of multiples – the same dance work being performed by different casts in different places, therefore can it be considered the same dance? He looks at the making of dance works raising issues of authorship. He considers the dancer’s contribution to the performance and clarifies the position of dancer and choreographer, to assess the contribution each is making to the dance work. The understanding of dances is explored through analysing the reconstruction process of past dances and identifying the categories of art which can be used to evaluate and theorise the dance. He specifically looks at the ideal audiences whose judgments might be considered highly important.  

McGee raises the question of whether or not an audience is needed for dance. He looks at a variety of angles, seeing dance as an art requiring an audience for it’s very meaning, then looking at the theory of proprioception and how that might allow for an understanding and meaning through the movement itself; how the dancer’s own proprioception might stand as a replacement for external judgment.

I will be using this book to further investigate the requirement of an audience for dance at all. What the effect of not having one might be and how the dancer’s own proprioception might be of use to their personal development as a dancer. This book introduces some quite complex ideas and they are obviously one person’s view. However, McGee has produced some very well documented accounts with a great deal of research and he is very clear when he is only drawing on his personal views. He is not a dancer himself which means it is the view point of a philosophical kind; this is beneficial to my research which will be exploring the opinions of a variety of audiences.

McFee, G. (2011) The Philosophical aesthetics of dance: identity, performance and understanding. Hampshire: Dance Books Ltd

Task 4D (continued) First 2 Literature Reviews

Review of 'Motion Arrested'

Holmes, O. (ed.) (1982) Motion arrested: dance reviews of H.T.Parker, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press

This book is made up of a collection of reviews of a number of famous dancers by the well known critic H.T. Parker, known  more frequently as H.T.P. H.T.P was a critic of the Boston Evening Standard for 29 years and within this time he saw many famous dancer’s careers. The book encapsulates a number of accounts he made of the same dancer at different venues on different occasions. It shows his view point as an acclaimed critic. The book shows a selection of his reviews of the dancers Adeline Genee, Anna Pavlova, Isadora Duncan, The Duncan Dancers, Ruth St Denis, Diaghilev Ballet Vaslav Nijinsky, Mikhail Fokine and Vera Fokina, Mikhail Mordkin, Tamara Karsavina, Denishawn dancers, Doris Humphrey’s and Charles Weidman, Martha Graham, Mary Wigman, Harald Kreutzberg, and Yvonne Georgi, Kurt Jooss, Dancers from Spain, Dancers from the East, Dancers from the Soviet Union, Anga Enters.

There are a number of accounts of each dancer allowing the reader to notice connections between performances and alterations in H.T.P’s opinions of the same dancer’s performances. Holmes intersperses the reviews with brief historical backgrounds of each dancer and their context at the time of the review. Holmes also analyses H.T P's natural tendencies as a reviewer by indicating those aspects of a performance, or particular dancers which tended to annoy him and those that would naturally excite and enthuse him.

In the reviews of Anna Pavlova, H.T.P compares performances and explores how her external context contributed or poorly affected the dancer’s performance, he criticises her dancing on a number of occasions stating that if she is to return to Boston she must put his suggested changes in place. The reviews which follow on show that in the next performance he attends she has indeed taken on board his opinion and H.T.P is significantly more satisfied. This is an indication of how the critics opinion can affect the dancer and I will be using this book as a way to explore and exemplify the influence that the critics can have over a dancer’s career.

Review of 'Dancer's stories: a narrative study of professional dancers'

Warnick J., Wilt, J & McAdams, D.P. (2016) ‘Dancer’s stories: a narrative study of professional dancers’. Performance Enhancement and Health, vol. 4 (no. 1-2), pp.35-41. Available at:

https://doi-org.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/10.1016/j.peh.2015.12.002 (Accessed 13 October 2017)

This article explores the life stories and identities of 20 professional dancers from U.S Midwest. It forms accounts of these dancers’ memories and personal feelings, illuminating that the majority of them felt the highlights of their careers to be personal recognition of excellence as identified by a teacher or director. Compared with other professions this desire for recognition was ‘striking.’ To further back this finding, the research also proofed that the lowest moments in most of the dancers’ careers had connections to being seen or recognised in negative ways.

Other key findings from this article which are relevant to my topic are that the dancers considered their professions closely linked to their personal identities. They felt that  finding a sense of confidence in themselves was challenging because of the high level of criticism and rarity of recognition that the profession gave. They shared their feelings of the unprofessionalism often seen in the dance world compared with other professions.

It is not a thorough investigation into their lifestyles and detailed descriptions of the dancers’ identities are not recorded. However, I will use this article as a basis for exploring the personal effects of others’ opinions on the dancer

Task 4d) Literature

I have recently spent a great deal of time searching out literature relating to my topic area. I have used a range of search engines including Google Scholar and Summon and I have also searched for books on Amazon. I found Summon to be very good and I found a number of articles. On Amazon I also found a number of books which I ordered. I also have an extensive personal library of dance related books so I have been reading and selecting some which I feel have important points related to my topic. Unfortunately my computer is not allowing me to sign up to Delicious so I am simply going to post my bibliography so far to give some indication of the resources I have found. It is still evolving and I have yet to post my book reviews.

Assaf, N.M. (2013) ‘I Matter: an interactive exploration of audience – performer connections,’ Research in Dance Education, Vol.14 (iss.3) pp 233-259. Available at:

http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/10.1080/14647893.2012.712103 (Accessed 13 October 2017)

Copeland, M. (2014) Life in motion: an unlikely ballerina. New York: Simon and Schuster

Haskell, A. (1977) Balletomania: Then and Now, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson

Holmes, O. (ed.) (1982) Motion arrested: dance reviews of H.T.Parker. Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press

McFee, G. (2011) The Philosophical aesthetics of dance: identity, performance and understanding. Hampshire: Dance Books Ltd

Melville, J. (2009) Diaghilev and Friends. London: Haus Publishing

Pepper, K. (2014) ‘Creative encounters and critical conversations.’ Dance Chronicle, volume 37, (iss. 2: Dance critics and criticism) pp. 178-184. Available at: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/10.1080/01472526.2014.914870 (Accessed 13 October 2017)

Reason, M. and Reynolds, D. (2010) Kinesthesia, empathy, and related pleasures: an inquiry into audience experiences of watching dance. Dance Research Journal, vol.42 (iss.2), pp. 49-75.

Sutton, T. (2013) The making of Markova. New York: Pegasus Books

Szoporer, P. (2014) ‘Criticism as a contested concept’, Dance Chronicle, vol.37 (iss.2) pp.189-194. Available at:

http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/10.1080/01472526.2014.914873 (Accessed 13 October 2017)

Warnick J., Wilt, J & McAdams, D.P. (2016) ‘Dancer’s stories: a narrative study of professional dancers’. Performance Enhancement and Health, vol. 4 (no. 1-2), pp.35-41. Available at:

https://doi-org.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/10.1016/j.peh.2015.12.002 (Accessed 13 October 2017)

Task 4B) Special Interest Group (updated)

Now that I am focusing in to the area of how the audience's opinion affects the dancer I have changed the title of my Special interest Group accordingly. I have approached some past colleagues and friends who are joining the group and sent requests to a number of BAPP students who I think would be interested. I would like to extend the invitation to anyone interested in the area of dance, dance teaching and dance performance. I will be exploring the audience's perspective as part of my inquiry so a variety amongst the view points would be ideal! If you would like to join please leave a comment below!

Task 4C) Developing my areas of Wonder

Because the SIG seems to be taking a while to get going as I know everyone is really busy with their own research questions too, I have been considering my initial areas of wonder and developed them through discussions with friends, past colleagues and my performing siblings in one to one messages and conversations. I researched literature on the initial questions I had. What I realised as I was looking more and more into the idea of different performance contexts was that this is such a broad area, there is no way that I would be able to do the inquiry justice within the time limits I have. Reading the book Doing your Research Project by Judith Bell and Stephen Waters has helped me to come to a more systematic approach to my research and I realise that narrowing down ideas to a more specific area will allow me to do my inquiry more justice. The area of wonder that I found myself focusing on more and more was:

 What dynamics are produced from different audiences watching dance and how does that affect the performer?

From this area the following questions emerged.

How does the audience’s opinions impact the ballet dancer’s performance?

What can the ballet dancer learn from the views of the audience?

Is the audience’s point of view really necessary for a ballet dancer to progress?

Can proprioception take the place of external judgement?

What dynamics are produced from differing audiences?

How do views differ amongst diverse audiences?

How does the ballet dancer rate audience’s opinions?

Does the ballet dancer place more value on the point of view of a critical eye or a lay person’s eye?

How do ballet dancers deal with criticism?

After researching literature around this topic, I found that I had a lot of material to draw upon (I will be posting my literature in my next blog as I have not quite finished my reviews.)

I discussed this idea a little with Adesola, Jessica and Emily on the Module 2 skype session last week. Jessica brought up the question of how you deal with what the audience thinks of you, draw negative or positive outcomes from their views and if you as a performer take those views home with you. This idea stuck with me and first pointed my inquiry in this direction.

 I have been discussing these ideas with my Professional Associate Anna Pujol, a past colleague currently dancing with Ballet Cymru (She has agreed to be my professional Associate, granted permission to be named and for me to hyperlink to her biography). We discussed the effects of bad reviews and how although these should not in theory affect how a dancer works they could provide mental strain and ultimately result in detrimental effects on performance. Anna felt this area of research had great relevance.

I also discovered that this is perhaps the most relevant area to my practice as a ballet dancer at the moment. As I have recently been contemplating the fact that I place a lot of emphasis on the opinion of others. I often find it hard to decipher between opinions which are relevant and will help me to develop as a dancer and those that are unhelpful and of no use to me. I am also dancing in slightly more unusual places like care homes and book shops and consequently performing for diverse audiences in close proximity. Often, I will receive feedback from an audience immediately after I have performed and it can be a challenge to fully reflect on what I have done and decide what information is relevant from the views of others. I feel that by exploring how the audiences point of view has affected dancers before me in their performances and how they have used their opinions will help me understand how to use feedback from others to improve my performances.   

Task 4)a: Developing areas of 'wonder'

Having pondered my topic for sometime I have travelled a bit of a journey trying to draw up relevant questions. I now realise that I have so many questions about so many things and they have all begun to get a bit tangled up! I have been trying to narrow them down so that I can begin a thorough research. When I spoke with Adesola and Jessica on the Skype meeting I realised that I was combining a lot of different areas that I am interested in however, now I am clearer on the angle I want to take. Although I am still not entirely sure what my question is, I know that I am interested in the topic area of the impact varying performance contexts have on a dancers authentic expression.  I am particularly interested in placing this question in the area of classical ballet as this is my own area of professional practice. However, I feel at this stage it is more beneficial to research the broader dance area a little bit. I hope this may also spark the interest of others and encourage them to share their thoughts with me.

I want to research this topic because I am interested to find out how ballet dancers in the past have adapted to varying contexts and where the most notable performances have taken place. Also how dancers of today feel about the how their performance environment affects them. It feeds into my professional practice as a freelance ballet dancer, as I want to discover how I can adapt to the varied contexts in which I dance in order to produce better performances. I have only been a professional dancer since 2016 and became freelance in July 2017. Therefore I realise that I am very fresh to the business so I really want to develop myself as an artist and I feel this inquiry could help me.  I am also intrigued to find out if it really matters where and for whom we dance as to the effectiveness of a performance.

The 7 areas of wonder I came up with in relation to this are: 

How can the term authenticity relate to dance?

Where does a dancer feel they can be what they would consider their authentic self? 

Does the context a dancer performs in change the way they dance?

Does a competitive atmosphere change how a dancer performs?

What impact do different audiences have on a dancer's artistic performance?

What dynamics are produced from different audiences watching dance and how does that affect the performer? 

Does the status which a dancer holds affect the context in which they dance?

I created this collage for my questions to help me build on my research process in a creative way.

I would be interested to know what others may feel about this area of research.

Task 4)a Reviewing Part 4

Part 4 of the Module 2 handbook has encouraged me to see the process of research in a creative way.  I found that it was particularly important to identify my areas of competence and capability as this encouraged a consideration of how I can improve the work I am currently doing as a freelance ballet dancer. Please see the following link to my earlier blog: https://annwall95.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/initial-thoughts-emerging-as-i-embark.html

Part 4 has also led me to purchase a very good book Researching Dance: Evolving Modes of inquiry edited by Horton Fraliegh and Hanstein which is on the BAPP reading list. Like Part 4 of the Module handbook it frequently compares the process of research to the choreographic process in dance and this is something that I find I can relate well to.

Below are some important quotations that I found.

All research begins with questions. The questions you ask reflect what interests you about the field of dance and how you see the world of dance.

(Horton Fraleigh and Hanstein 1999, p 27) 

Scholarly research is a visionary process and is guided by the researcher's ability to see and think about ideas in new ways. This creative and imaginative engagement with ideas in new ways. This creative and imaginative engagement with ideas is what initiates research and ultimately results in the researcher making a significant contribution of new knowledge to the field. Like dance making, initiating research is a cyclic and improvisational process that eventually spirals inward towards a specific research purpose, which is not unlike the artistic concept for a dance work.

(Horton Fraleigh and Hanstein 1999, p 28 )   

I have also just invested in the book Doing your Research Project by Judith Bell with Stephen Waters (also on the BAPP reading list). This book is great as it covers the whole research process providing advice on planning your project, ethics and integrity in research, reading, referencing and the Management of information, literature searching and the review of the literature as well as all the subsequent stages of a project. I feel this will help guide me as I lay down the basis for my research project.

 Bibliography

Bell, J and Waters S (2014) Doing your Research Project, first published 1987. England: Open University Press 

Horton Fraleigh S and Hanstein P (1999) Researching Dance: Evolving Modes of Inquiry, London: Dance Books
Module 2 Handbook (2017) BAPP Arts, Middlesex University, London: Middlesex University

Ideas on Assumptions

Today we had out Module 2 discussion on Skype with Adesola.

I found it interesting to hear other people's ideas on my area of interest. What specifically stood out through this process was that sometimes when you put out an idea of something that you want to find out about, we assume that others will know what we are talking about. However, Adesola stated that she was not sure that I really knew what my area of practice was or why I would want to research my topic. I was surprised that it had not occurred to me to state my area of practice when I was talking as I had felt that I had already explained this in Module 1 in my professional profile. It made me realise that I need to keep questioning everything and continue to return to my starting point in order to be really clear about what it is I want to discover in my inquiry planning. With all of this in mind I am drawing up my areas of wonder to post in my next blog.

Skype Session with Adesola 3rd October

This evening I enjoyed a very formative skype meeting with Adesola and other BAPP students from across all three modules.

Part of what we explored were issues regarding ethics when working as a teacher, what authenticity means to each of us as an individual (this was may area of interest), the difficulties arising from moving to different countries to work and we heard how Gonzalo has been going about his interviews for Module 3.

For me, what really stood out from this session was how the idea of authenticity runs through many of the topics we discussed. For instance, when discussing education, Jess was talking about how she is exploring dance for people with autism and she explained how now autism is just considered to be a different way of thinking rather than a problem. This made me consider how people with autism may feel that dance is a way in which they can express themselves more openly, therefore feel that they are showing their authenticity.

Then Henry was discussing a dance performance he recently saw by Pheonix Dance Theatre which conveyed a political message. This again seemed to me an example of truthfulness or authenticity as it is dealing with current important issues.

Then Jae-eun brought up the issue of feeling the need to change yourself in order to adapt to a different culture when working in another country. This raised the following questions for me which also relate to the concept of authenticity:

How much of ourselves should we be willing to change?
Is it simply our perception of a culture that gives us the feeling we need to change ourselves in order to be accepted within it?
Does it say more about the way we see ourselves rather than the way others see us?

 As a group we discussed how a certain level of competition and pressure can make positive changes to the technical abilities of a dancer/performer. It was suggested that it is the things which are out of someone's control to change such as their height which can be the demoralising factors to self worth and therefore interfere with someone's authenticity. 

 We also looked into the emotional side of training in a vocational school and Henry mentioned that at his school mental health was very much on the back burner. Jess suggested however that the difficulties which arise from the profession can only really be learned once you are working in a professional setting which I thought was very interesting.

Adesola mentioned that we should look back into history rather than just looking to where we will go with the information we discovered while planning our inquiry ideas. So I am now embarking on research through books on dancers such as Anna Pavlova, Michaela DePrince, Misty Copeland and Gelsey Kirkland all of whom had to overcome points in their training and careers where they were told they must change themselves if they wanted to succeed.

Initial thoughts emerging as I embark on Module 2

Whilst working through Part 4 of the Module 2 handbook I have enjoyed considering some of the questions which are raised and I thought I would share some of my thoughts on them here!

Do I work within a disciplinary context in the arts? Or is my situation more transdisciplinary?

Although I am a professional ballet dancer, I am currently freelancing. This means that I am working in a variety of different genres. At the moment I am preparing ballet workshops for children, choreographing dances to perform at a variety of different events. I also create many of my own costumes for the work I perform. I am also setting up a craft business alongside. Therefore I would say that my situation is more transdisciplinary.

What do I know?

• I have knowledge of the technique of ballet.
• I know that when I am sincere as a dancer my dancing is much more powerful   
• I have an awareness of how to work with others
• I am willing to be directed by another/others and seem to feel a bit more at ease when dictated to
• However, I also have a questioning personality and an ability to see when a situation is unjust. 
• I know how to train alone to maintain my technique.

Competences

• Precision in classical technique
• Dancing on stage
• Working with others
• Choreographing in the classical ballet style
• Improvisation
• Adaptation of existing costumes
• Creation of headdresses
• Planning workshops and teaching young children ballet

Capabilities

• Developing the confidence to take more risks and challenge my classical work. 
• Dance in a classical company
• Working with more authority and assurance
• Having more confidence in independent work
• Choreographing with more abandon and creativity in a variety of different style of dance. 
• Teaching older more advanced children and adults
• Promoting my work more.
• Making my own costumes from scratch

Knowledge still required for the future.

• I need to learn how to balance out my energies when working to an intense schedule to avoid burnout.
• I need to learn to accept my short comings but not allow them to affect my confidence. Instead use them as motivation to work harder.
• I need to develop the skills to pick up choreography faster.
• I need to develop a stronger more abandoned and grounded physicality in my more contemporary work.
• I need to learn to be proud of who I am as an individual as this will help me in more competitive situations such as auditions.
• I need to learn to be assertive as this will give me more courage to go out into more situations which may challenge me.
• I have noticed that since being a freelancer, I doubt my capabilities a lot more. Perhaps because I have relied to heavily on the validation of others in the past.  Now I need to find a greater strength to get to the next level as a performer. 

Considering all of these questions is helping me to develop the questions for my inquiry as it is encouraging me to look deeper into myself and discover what I really need to develop as a professional in the field of classical ballet.

I would like to know whether other freelancers out there have also felt a lack of confidence in their independent ability when they are used to being under directorship.

Returning to Module 2

Hello everyone!
I am very excited to be returning to the BAPP programme for Module 2 (although I am still experiencing some admin issues with the uni). The last few months have been a roller coaster of ups and downs and I have had to make some very difficult decisions. However, it has also been a great time to reflect and many questions and ideas have emmerged which I look forward to exploring and discussing throughout the coming months.

After finishing last season and touring the productions The Light Princess and A Midsummer Night's Dream, I made the very difficult decision to leave my job with Ballet Cymru. The decision was related to injury and personal issues and I am therefore currently working as a freelance ballet dancer.

I am now looking forward to once again communicating with those on the BAPP network and catching up with those I know who are now starting on Module 3, as well as meeting new students embarking on Module 2 this month.

 Image from:
 http://www.zenithquotes.com/wisdom/40-favorite-decide-quotes