Focus 1

I would like to look at the impact "Survival Work" has on a professional dancers practice.

I feel I can't always give 100% to auditioning due to working other jobs to ultimately survive. For me attending an audition means taking unpaid leave from work, travelling into London to sometimes spend 45 minutes in an audition room. Other times I have been recalled often meaning I have to travel back into London the next day and call in sick to work. It means having to be unprofessional to your employer and consequently leaves you with a bad reputation which could result in losing your job. It is a hard work balance to achieve and one I think would benefit from change.

I am interested to see what groups of people this affects and whether there are any patterns between them. For example - Are the Arts structured towards certain socio economic groups? Should production companies contribute towards the cost of an audition? Would it be more beneficial to do all castings online first and then ask to see a selected few? Is that fair? Is it ethical? I would also like to look at the mental impact it can have on a professional dancer not being able to pursue their career fully due to other engagements they have to do in order to survive.

Research topics that sparked my interest:

• Survival is 'the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.' (Oxford Dictionary n.d)
• Survival Psychology (Leach, J. 1994)
  'Survival is a very personal and lonely thing'
  'Human Performance under hostile conditions cannot be explained solely within the realm of psychology'
  'Psychological conditions such as hunger and thirst and environmental conditions such as isolation and crowding, all play their part in a mans being'
  'Anyone who still suffers psychologically from its effect to the extent it interferes in their every day life's remains a victim'
• Auditioning Culture
  Audition meaning 'an interview for a role or job as a singer, actor, dancer or musician, consisting of a practical demonstration of the candidates suitability and skill' (Oxford Dictionary n.d)
  Culture meaning 1. 'the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society'. 2. 'the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively' (Oxford Dictionary n.d)
• Portfolio Careers 
  "A portfolio career is when you have multiple careers at the same time through part time, contract or freelance work. This means that instead of specialising in one industry, you specialise in a skillset and you apply that laterally across multiple industries." 
  So why might a portfolio career be perfect for the new-normal way of working? "In a post–Corona world, having a portfolio career will help us be more resilient because you have multiple sources of income rather than focusing on one in particular, which means if there are changes in one industry you are working in, that's okay, because you have several other jobs or opportunities lined up in another one." There are also lifestyle benefits to working in a portfolio career, "You sometimes get to do a more traditional job, but also use your more creative side of your brain alongside it, for example, I mentor somebody who is a doctor four days a week, but on Friday they work as a jewellery designer and sell their jewellery online." (BBC Bitesize 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zktbn9q)

I haven't fully come up with an inquiry question as such yet, my focus is still quite large. I am looking forward to researching some more and really honing in on one point!