Sunday, February 2, 2014

Task 4A



Once i started thinking of questions, i couldn't stop! I have so many ideas what i could do for my Inquiry, writing them out has really helped me realise that each question is very in-depth and i may need to narrow some of the questions down even more. 

Below are some of the questions (I'm sure i will be adding more and more!) that i have: 

Pressures of the Industry

·      Can the Vanity of being a dancer be harmful physiologically?
·      Can the pressure of the industry cause eating disorders?
·      Have people been pressured into working into the industry?
·      Do you have to sacrifice time with family and friends to be successful?
·      What is the right ‘look’ for the job?
·      Does Talent overcome ‘who you know’?
·      Do you need to be selfish to get ahead?
·      Do you have to be wealthy/money from parents to survive in this industry?
·      How to get ahead?
·      Should you take every job that is offered to you? A job is a job?
·      Is there such thing as luck in an audition?
·      Is there such a things as Right time right place?
·      Do you have to be Independent to be successful?
·      Do dancers feel they have to have quality of Beauty?
·      Do you have to be skinny to be a dancer?
·      What is the ‘correct’ size/physique for a dancer?
·      Are performers given enough support?
·      Why do dancers accept such low paid jobs?
·      Are dancers truly happy?
·      Why people drop out of Dance College?
    Why is dance sometimes not seen as a 'proper' job?
    Why is there more demand for dancers working abroad?

     History of Dance

      How has the employment rates of a dancer changed in the last 50 years?
      How has the style of dance changed within the last 20 years?
      Is the standard of dance continually improving?
      How/has has dance become more commercialised within the last 30years?



      Nutrition

What is the best time to eat?
What should you eat?
 How much to eat?
Who to eat with?
 Eating Disorders causes and solutions?
  Can dancers afford to eat the right stuff?

Money

·      How to afford to live in London?
·      Are performers dependent on family and friends?
·      Is it fair that some people get funding and other don’t?
·      How to performers afford train fairs/travel costs to auditions?
·      Are dancers underpaid?
·      Why is it so difficult for HMRC to understand a performers Tax and employment situation?

Auditions

Are auditions fair?
Should you go to every audition?
The difference between open and closed auditions?
Should they hold open auditions when they are also having closed auditions?
How to have a good audition?
What to wear at an audition?
How to prepare for an audition?
Are auditions healthy competition?

Agents

·      How to get one?
·      Is it a good one?
·      Why are there so many?
     How long does a career as a dancer last?
·      Why is working on a cruise ship not as valued as working on the West End?
·      Why do more and more people want a career as a dancer?

    Teaching 
When is the correct time to decide to teach?
Why do some dance school employ unqualified dance teachers?
The difference between ISTD/RAD/IDTA?
Should schools do dance exams?
I Is dance teaching a more steady career than a dancer?
How to prepare children for the pressures of the performing arts industry?
Why do more girls dance than boys?
How to keep boys motivated in dance?
Should teachers have favourites?
how different teaching methods have a different affect on each student?
Should you be teaching children to be a triple threat? 
How should you approach a class when there are children who are doing the class just for fun and those who want to continue professionally?
Are you a better teaching if you have performing experience?
SThe difference between American dance and UK dance?
How to approach a situation if you feel a child is being abused/pressured into dancing?
SShould all dance teacher be first aid trained?
How do you motivate children to be the best they can be?
Should you home school children who wish to train as a professional dancer?








3 comments:

  1. Hi Heather!

    Great start with so many questions! I think its good how many questions you have but you are really going to have to narrow them down. What area do you think will motivate and give to the enthusiasm to research and learn more about?

    I see you have the categories:
    Pressures of the industry
    History of dance
    Nutrition
    Money
    Auditions
    Agents
    Teaching

    All of which relate to performing arts. What are you doing at the moment? work wise? and what area do you think could help you expand and develop in your workplace?

    The reason I ask this is because I want my inquiry to relate deeply with what I am doing so it allows me to not only complete my work but to enable me to relate it to my practice. Obviously not everyone is the same and you could however want to find out more about a topic that is different to what you are doing at the moment.

    In regards to your comment about the 'pyscological tools for performance enhancement and well being in dance' I am really interested in this area of performance and have been reading some articles which I will post to my blog to allow you to read them. There are so many places I feel I could go with this. I read an article where it stated a large percentage of dancers suffered with depression and I feel psychology could relate to this.

    I will post the articles and if you read anything interesting relating to the psychology aspect of performance, please share :)

    Speak to you soon Heather,

    Mel :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Mel

    Have a look at my recent blog post, it mentions where i am with my career at the moment and i have narrowed down some questions.

    Thanks for your comment. I feel that i am extremely passionate about 'pressure of the industry' this is something that i feel i can really get stuck into and help me develop as a performer and a teacher.

    Do you have any experiences of people suffering from the different pressures of the industry?! what do you feel is the biggest pressure of the industry at the moment? Feel free to email me your response my email is heathersophiesmith@hotmail.co.uk

    Heather X

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Heather
    I would like to answer the question of 'how to afford London' if I may?
    From experience, it comes down to really noticing how much you are spending, and keeping that open eye the whole time. I've lived in London with only a part time job earning perhaps £450 a month. Rent was about £300. How you say? I would have an oyster and use the bus (which is longer than it would be by tube most of the time) make my own packed lunch; seeing as one sandwich costs about £1.50 in the shops, it doesn't seem much, but it sure adds up. try not to go partying EVERY weekend and watch the amount you spend on drinks etc, now this can be a hard one for some but try not to wear make up every day, it can be tough as most feel naked without their make up, or just lay off too much make up on some days. Try and stick to the foods that are necessary when grocery shopping and try and stay clear of too many luxuries. Spoiling yourself for one day can give you a financially stressful day later on.
    I could go on and on how to live in London, but it's all down to being sensible. See what others think.
    Also, about the 'auditions being fair' I would say that most of them are not, but I've been to some auditions where it was obvious that they were going for talent and not looks. It's rare, but they are about, and yes, go to most if not all auditions. It's experience. If you don't do well, it's always good to take notes of whom they actually went for, then the following year if/when they audition again, you can adapt yourself from your last experience.
    There are a lot of questions there that can be merged with others to make one question which potentially can have a lot of answers.
    Feel free to look at my questions, even if there is only slight similarities.
    Good luck Heather!!!
    Kim xx

    ReplyDelete