On the 16th of November 2016, a meeting took place at the studios of Ballet Vlaandered between the Board of Committee and dancers of the ballet company. The Board of Committee is a new recently formed establishment, and what it consists of is a couple of the more experienced dancers (ie: principals/soloist), who's job is to organize meetings, such as this one, and make sure that any requests, questions from the dancers could be passed on to the staff of the company and board of direction.
The aim is to create a 'bridge of communication' as mentioned by our principal dancer, an idea I was very fond of, especially after learning about the importance of communication in my BAPP Performing Art studies.
The main point of our practice is to raise an issue and be able to investigate its source and progression, in order to make a positive change to yourself and your working environment. And the only way this can be done is by communicating with the people who you are involved with professionally or are linked within your professional circle.
Being a new member, I was not aware of the reasons behind this meeting or if it would involved me, being a dancer in the company. Therefore, I decided to sit in a corner quietly and treat it as an exercise, taking notes (WBL) like a good student, of anything I should take into consideration for my work and my studies. Before the meeting started I wrote down a few questions, which I thought could be helpful in understanding the purposes of the meeting:
-What is it about?
-Who does it involve?
-What issues are raised?
-Are there any codes of conduct?
-Was the meeting beneficial?
-What did you learn from it?
Indeed, the meeting was very helpful and has proved me the significance of good communication, which I feel that a lot of the time, it is taken for granted. What was highlighted in this meeting was the importance of having our voice as dancers heard!!
After any change, whether a personal one or one of a company, there is excitement but there can usually be a general confusion in the atmosphere and time is needed for adjustment.
As explained really clearly to us at the meeting, the way to avoid any complication or uncertainty in the workplace is to speak up!!
The dancers are encouraged to evaluate our recent premiere and share our thoughts with the board of directors. This would not be a file of complaints, but rather, a letter taking account the making of the production (teaching, rehearsals, schedule, touring process, organization, dancers well-being) and mentioning what is good about it, why it is good, what would work better perhaps, and any suggestions of how we can improve for our working environment. An online survey of multiple choice answers has also been shared among the dancers, in hope to 'provide insight in the state of affairs in the performing arts..as well as in your (our) organization.'
In general, issues concerning dancers/performing artists, are very often assumed of their existence. Perhaps people know that the problem is there, but not the extend of its importance. Hopefully by expressing our thoughts and feelings as dancers, any kind of our issues, small or big, personal or collective, will be taken into consideration, and we can start working as a team!!
Healthy and Constructive Communication = Happy Dancers :)
Reflection
Critical Evaluation
Expression
Communication
should should be part of our every day lives (not just in ou BAPPs!)
With the arts, expanding and moving forward:
What are we experiencing?
How are the dance companies moving forward? An how are they adapting to change?
What needs to be taken into consideration?
How important is the dancer's say/opinion?
I would love to expand more on this issue and would love to hear your thoughts and questions on this as well! Any opinion is welcomed :)
references:
podiumkunsten.be
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiQxu_9iLPQAhXEWxQKHbDNA2EQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoablog.ashevillenc.gov%2F2012%2F08%2Fwanted-your-voice-for-the-noise-ordinance-survey%2F&bvm=bv.139250283,d.d24&psig=AFQjCNFgjUe2-3ipZXL_UDt2Y0MHjiUY8g&ust=1479584722328155
Hey Taz, I like the 'bridge of communication' idea. In a musical theatre environment we assign an 'equity dep' which I believe is the equivalent of the more experienced dancers as you say that provide such feedback. Anything that affects the company rather than the individual, we'd perhaps consult the equity dep who'd then speak to the company manager on our behalf. As a dance company, are you members of equity union and do you also have a company manager? I think the company manager must be a difficult role in particular because being the middle man is never easy. Trying to solve company concerns whilst trying to please 'the office'. How much commincation do you have with other departments such as stage management, this for areas such as tech and touring process? Would this affect the communication needed with people higher up?
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan! I guess it is the equivalent of 'equity dep'. A trust needs to be formed between the management and the dancers in order to function in an orderly way, because I feel that doubt and relying on the unknown by making assumptions can easily lead to more problems and perhaps it's a waste of time. The company does indeed have a Union. I have spoken to the head of Union, who is a dancer himself in the company for a few years now, also Belgian (where the company is located), and is very willing discuss further about it with me. Do you have any suggestions as to what questions I could bring up? I have never worked with a company that has a Union.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how a Musical Theatre company can work very differently from a ballet company! I have plenty of friends in your circle, and I am always fascinated with the way it works. Especially the whole concept of having a dance captain. A lot more responsibility lies in your hands than ours, which teaches you to be the leader of your own self, something I fear is lacking from many ballet dancers. You mentioned you have a company manager..is that like the director?
What our company has is an Artistic Director. (no manager is mentioned on the website and paper, but I will have a look on that!) We have the Artistic Director of the Ballet and then an Artistic Director of the Opera (as it's a joined company for a few years now). They make all the big decisions (what members will join the company/what repertoire to bring/where we tour). The Ballet department also has an active Co-director who takes a lot of responsibility, especially when the A.D. is away. That would involve casting and organization of our daily rehearsals. The Ballet Masters would also have a say as they are the ones observing our work and progression on a daily basis.
I find ourselves as performers being in this 'middle man' position you mention. There is the dilemma I personally find 'do I step in the spotlight, or do I let it go?' I always fear, is this a wrong move, is this the right time? is my issue serious enough of worth mentioning? Am I being paranoid? But then if my concern would not be expressed then I will never know the answer. I wonder if the pressures of hierarchy and ranking play a part in this. Had I been a more experienced member, would my concern be more worth taking into account.
Ofcourse, in a collective decision,, opinions may vary, but a lot of the time there is a mutual agreement within the dancers if there is an obvious problem. We often put pressure on ourselves when it comes to situations like these. We want improvements but then we also want to 'please the office' like you said, and that is perhaps why a disagreement can become personal. There should be no shame in expressing our concerns as long as the issue is sorted out professionally. If we don't express our concerns then they will not be heard and there won't be change. This is why I think Union is perhaps necessary!
With other departments, I am afraid that the communication is close to none. I hear that in smaller companies that may not be the case, but perhaps in a bigger company, there would be other people in charge of the technical responsibilities. That is for the people above us to decide-that would be the choreographer's/repetiteur's request to begin with, then the board of directors and Theater management (or stage management). If the dancers have a problem, I guess it would be a great idea to express them to our bosses/Union meetings, in hope of change. I remember vividly some backstage experience which involved the breaking of some rules -involving a drunk crew-, which sadly interfered with the motion of the performances. I thought it was very important to have this issue raised.
Thanks for this Taz - your topic has resonated - will catch up with you soon. It is time for drafts and feedback.
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