Inquiry Idea Two

• What do you want to find out about?

Investigating the responsibilities of the dance captain and their transdiciplinary leadership skills. 

What it takes to be a good dance captain and company manager, (possibly concentrating on the cruise environment as that’s my practice) and how the leadership skills acquired can be used in other practises.

• Why do you want to research this topic?

Progressing to a management role, whether it be as a dancer or in other fields is a goal of mine so having an insight in how to be successful in this position will be very beneficial. 

Through my years on cruise ships I have encountered various dance captain’s all with very different management styles and I am intrigued to investigate other people’s experiences. Because we have both working and social relationships in the cruise environment, I am interested to see if they have ever found it challenging to maintain their professionalism around friends or struggled to disassociate their work to their social relationships- and vice versa. Have they ever been worried how they react at work will effect how others react to them in social situations. Equally I’m interested to know if there are any aspects of the role they were unaware of/ didn't anticipate before they accepted the role.

When researching how dancer’s respond to criticism, one study suggested a dancer’s reaction depends on the delivery of the note, so then I started looking into the deliverer- the dance captain. Is there one specific way we should be communicating notes to everyone or are we free to adapt to suit different people’s needs. 

Crew welfare on board is an interest of mine; it’s a very unique social environment. I always explain to people at home it’s a bit like Big Brother or Love Island; by having so many people in such a concentrated space can really heighten emotions both for better or worse. Personally I believe the dance captain has a duty of care for their team but where is the line drawn? Meaning, should they only intervene with work related altercations or are they expected to step in and still manage situations outside of work? Being a leader are they expected to set an example at all times?

• How researching this topic will benefit my practice?

I identify within myself that when I observe a routine I am capable of picking out mistakes and rectifying them- a basic requirement of the dance captain role- however when I have seen previous dance captain’s tackle more personal disputes,  I have questioned whether I have the interpersonal skills necessary to defuse such situations. Therefore I think taking this opportunity to investigate this management/ leadership skill will be favourable in my professional development. 

Aforementioned, my role on board is transdiciplinary; we are not only required to perform in the shows we also have a duty of care for our guests should an emergency situation arise. Efficient communication is paramount, particularly if we’re dealing with multicultural passengers and language barriers pose a challenge. I think this skill is necessary regardless of the field of practice. Just recently on board we had a forum to raise issues with crew welfare and the primary outcome of the meeting was communication was not clear and frequent enough from the senior management team. Equally though, from my observations, sometimes management are given information but knowing how and when to deliver it appropriately is a skill too- gossip and rumours can spread like wildfire on board and can make a team agitated. 

I am interested to see what people who haven’t been a dance captain’s assumptions are about the role, so should I attain it I have multiple perspectives to weigh on how I tailor my behaviour.

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

I imagine having strong communication skills, patience and being adaptable are necessary to be successful in this role. I can imagine you have to be quite strong headed to deal with challenging personalities and work under pressure.

Also to be approachable should a cast member have an issue and assist in communications where they’ve struggling between cast members.

This management role I desire may not even be in the performing arts but I believe the attributes required to be successful may be found in any discipline.

People’s experience of being a dance captain may differ depending on the different characters they have in the cast/ obstacles they face. Also some dance captain’s superiors can be more demanding than others which puts pressure on the dance captain, in turn changes their experience. 

In my experience the dance captain manages both the singers and dancers in the cast, there may be different experiences to how they react to the dance captain’s direction.

At first outlook I would divide the role of the dance captain into different responsibilities:

• Giving corrections after technical/dress rehearsals
• Being knowledgable of all choreography 
• Re-spacing the shows both before the event and under pressure
• Managing the team both with scheduling, admin and a duty of care
• Being a neutral party should any tense situation arise

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

Some people I interview may be former/future colleagues, chosen for their experience, but they may be reluctant to divulge their true feelings in fear I may pass it on to other colleagues. 

I don’t know if it sounds silly or not but if I interview dance captains who work in the same company as me, I hope they don’t feel threatened that I am ‘after their job’.

An ethical question I have is that, I am currently in a relationship with a dance captain who I think would be an ideal candidate to interview due to their experience, however does our personal relationship put us in a compromising position- would the data they provide be modified to protect my feelings?

When I construct my interview questions, I don’t want them to tailor the response of the interviewee in a certain way, I want to receive honest data from their experiences.