Inquiry Idea One

• What do you want to find out about?

How do Dancers process and react to criticism in a professional environment? Do they care too much, too little and if so why? Is there one singular way that is considered the norm/ desired/ how we should be reacting?

• Why do you want to research this topic?

On board these cruise ships, we do a technical run of the show before every evening performance; this is a chance for the Dance Captain to oversee the show and correct any mistakes or inconsistencies. Over the past few years I feel personally I have changed the way I respond to these critiques; at first as I was one of the most inexperienced of the troupe, I was quite accepting if I was in the wrong. As I became more experienced it frustrated me when mistakes around me weren’t picked up on by the dance captain or if someone else was adamant they were doing it correct. Then I basically, ‘got over’ my ego and told myself it really didn’t matter if I was doing it correctly or someone else; looking to the front or the side wasn’t going to dictate if I obtained another contract or not. However this contract has been a bit different as it’s the first time I’ve returned to a ship and already know the routines; as well as other cast members who were in the cast before me and learnt the routines slightly differently. 

Recently, I was corrected on a move where I was the only one doing it differently to the other girls; naturally it would seem obvious that I was in the wrong then but internally I was sure that I wasn’t; so much so, that I went and checked our original rehearsal footage afterwards to see who was right (side note- it was me). At this point, I questioned myself why I cared so much? As dancers, we are a visual art form and are constantly critiqued; I understand the importance of our cast looking uniformed- so why was it so hard to accept that I had to change? Also, in my experience, I’ve seen a number of cast members challenge the dance captain when they’ve been told they’re incorrect- almost as a defence mechanism- despite the dance captain having the authority and final say. Even writing this now, I am struggling to articulate a reason why. Therefore I am interested to see if there are any common themes with other dancers responses and what might be the root of that response.

• How researching this topic will benefit my practice?

As I discussed in Module One, relationships between cast members on board are unique because you all live and work in a very close environment; therefore your actions at work can have repercussions with people in the social environment. These relationships have recently come into greater focus in this ‘Return to Service’ period, as crew members on my ship do not have the access they usually would, of getting off the ship. I think having a better understanding of how dancers process criticism would benefit me as I could adapt the way I deliver critiques to my peers, discuss resolutions and react myself to them, resulting in stronger working relationships, a harmonious work environment and in turn stronger social relationships.

Also discussed previously, in this career you are constantly working to expand your professional network and looking for employment opportunities. Being able to respond well to a dance captain’s or peers critiques and implementing them, encourages a reputation for having a positive work ethic and being able to work well with others; this is a valuable trait to have when being recommend for work by your professional network.

Additionally, I am hoping to advance to a management position, such as a dance captain, at some point in my career so having this knowledge would prepare me for dealing with the responsibilities and duty of care this position requires.

• Write any preconceptions/ assumptions you may have about this topic

As this is a qualitative non-povitist research project, I am keen to learn and be open minded in this inquiry however I think it is important to document my personal opinion and initial reaction in order to see growth/ recognise later how I have developed in this process and highlight any areas that could cause bias when I construct my research plan.

Without searching for a definition, I identify criticism as when you are told by others that the way you do something is different. You could be doing something in a positive way or you could be doing something wrong and it needs to change. I think although being critiqued generally has a positive outcome- as it invites an opportunity for change- being criticised is perceived as a negative scenario.

As athletes we strive to constantly better ourselves so we can stand out in this competitive industry. Receiving criticism is a vital ingredient to do this as how can you improve if you do not know your faults? However I think it is a natural human reaction to dislike being told you are incorrect and my initial reaction would be that generally dancers can be defensive if the one giving the critiques is not an authoritative figure- but again this could be biased from my experiences. 

I have questioned whether the root of the cause is to do with our industry’s competitiveness; does being correct over others make you ‘the best’? Are they trying to prove they’ve remembered the choreography better?

Is it to do with the foundation of our training and different teaching styles? If teachers encourage criticism as a positive/negative experience, does this continue throughout our career or do our different professional experiences/ environments dictate this?

This inquiry is not designed to have a definite answer, it’s merely to investigate this topic deeper. Equally I don’t think I’ll actually find an answer to, ‘is there one way we should be reacting to criticism’ because there are so many environmental and personal factors involved.

• Alternative perspectives?

An alternative view may be that how you process criticism is just a personality trait that is carried across any career not just in dance. 

They may see dancers as people who take criticism better than those in other fields of work because they’re so used to it. 

Or generally they’re very positive and accepting of criticism, maybe even keen to receive it.

• Are there any struggles/ hindrances with researching this topic?

Naturally I assume I will interview some dancers in this process and I think it’s quite a vulnerable thing to admit if you struggle with something; so my interviewees may be reluctant to divulge their true feelings if they struggle to accept criticism. Similarly, from an ethical point of view, they may have very personal reasons for how they process criticism due to their own experiences, so care must be taken in this area. 

It is possible I may interview dancers that I end up working with, so they may be nervous that I may share their responses with our colleagues creating a untrustworthy work environment [However I appreciate the seriousness of this inquiry process and would not do this].

People’s reaction can be determined on what the criticism actually is. Is it a minor/ easily fixable thing, where something is merely incorrect such as, ‘you’re kicking the right leg not the left’ or a technical critique that requires more training to correct such as, ‘you’re not kicking high enough’.

It may be that I can’t find enough people to interview who have similar/dissimilar experiences.

• Other notes

I may look into how other athletes accept criticism and is it comparable in the performing arts? 

Do singers/ actors process criticism differently/more/less than dancers? 

Do we change how we process criticism in training than when we work professionally? 

Do we have a responsibility to self criticise and is it beneficial or can it be damaging?