are u a creative worker? a dance case

Few months ago my whole MA was over-stressed with this very idea of entrepreneurship and precariousness. It was all about these attractive concepts of independence, creativity, project-based jobs, freelance and their dark sides which form the new labour ethos of the creative “precariat “of the new economy. I run a survey based at the case study of contemporary dancers. And here it is some extracts:

” ‘Precarity’ used to be the idiom of a true artistic living. And this was the main reason why this profession wasn’t considered as work. Therefore, few, only the really talented could follow it. Recently, which means after the emergence of the “creative industries” and the unexpected mix of culture with work (Angela McRobbie, 2001: 99) ‘precarity’ broadened its scope as culture could lead to some kind of profit. At the New Economy, meaning the post-Internet Industries era –by keeping Andrew Ross’s distinction between New and Old Economy (Ross 2003) –the constant changes of new technology demands a new precarious working ethos. Artits, creators, cultrural workers, innovators and an increasingly expanded new workforce of culture is young, flexible, independent, highly mobile, project-linked and willing to take risks, just to mention only some of its basic traits.”

Per/forms undertook a one-to-one 20’min interview with 15 contemporary dancers following a common structure of questions (10 Greeks -7 studying and working in London, 3 working in Athens-, 1 French study in London, 1 German working in Berlin, 3 Londoners study and working in London).  The themes developed were related to their lifestyle (education, trends, expenses, income, daily life, and entertainment), their needs and their expectations. Their main characteristics are that they are highly committed and attached to their art sacrificing all of their energy, time and money to their artistic development and career.

Their lives in numbers:

Expenses:

20h-30h fitness & technique maintenance = an average of 70£ per week

3-6 years of training = 1000-3.800£ per year

3-6 auditions per year (festivals/companies)

15-20 performances’ attendance per year = 225-300£ per year

Income:

Teaching = 700-1500£ per month

Dancing for companies-touring = 1500-2000£ per month

Individual productions/projects: Funding 5.000/10.000/15.000 where the biggest part goes for the realisation of the project and their income comes from the 50% of the tickets but this has to do also with the venue, the setting, the technical stuff and the marketing expenses.

Working attitudes

Contemporary dancers are a flexible and highly mobile workforce changing places, posts and working models. They are the most precarious art genre because of the short time-span of their active performing life. Discontinuous unemployment fits to their working model while multi-tasking is one of their skills and burdens as well. They are focused on their artistic perspective missing the practical, financial and managerial part that would do their work sustainable. As a dancer put it:

You may teach, work with a company, and make an independent project at the same time. As a result, you have to be in alertness: searching for funding for your next project, looking for workshops, go to others’ performances, networking, and last but not least develop new idea. And you can’t be a one man-band because the sooner or later, most of us get burned.  (X. G)

MOBILE-FLEXIBLE

Perhaps the most characteristic feature of a modern dancer is mobility in terms of labour –varying from teaching, performing, choreographing, writing, management . As it is emerged from my interviews, it is possible for a dancer to change place 3 to 6 times trough a year. If he wants to be in a famous company, which is between the most desirable dancing careers, he has to go to auditions to several cities and countries. If he wants to be informed and trained he has to go to seminars, workshops and classes. If he wants to promote his project he has to tour to cities, festivals and other possible places to perform. At the same time he has to teach as teaching is the only secure option in terms of money. It is worth noting also that 11 to 15 persons I interviewed have spent considerable time at other jobs in order to survive.

The job of a dancer is unstable. In most cases you have to search all the time for auditions. (M.M)

From September 2007 until April 2008, I was working as a dancer with 2 choreographers (Jozsef Csaba Hajzer, Giannis Karounis) for the presentation of 2 pieces in the 1^st Arc for Dance Festival of Athens. I was working 11-13 hours during the week and I didn’t get paid. At the same period I was working as a ballet teacher in a ballet school in Piraeus. I was teaching ballet in children of age 3-6 and I was working 5hour per week and I was getting paid 9€/h (with the insurance). In the mornings I was taking classes paying 10€/h. Through this time I went abroad twice for auditions, in Austria and London. I spent my savings but it was worth. I was selected in PLACE though we were too many. (M.P.)

People think about us that we have an adventurous marginal life and we tour in different countries and that is fabulous. The truth is that so you pack, you go to a place, you rehearse, you go to the closest shop to grab something to eat, you sleep, you perform, you pack again and you don’t even notice where you are. (P.G)

DEDICATION

For my last project I was working 8 hours every night for 1 month, as at mornings I had to teach in a school because this was my stable work in order to be able to produce my piece. But I am not complaining, tiredness for me is to do jobs which are irrelevant with my art. (E.P.)

It is a lifestyle. You choose it and you go with this. You can earn your living sometimes but still your living is your work. There is no distinction between work and life. Because it is not a work, it could be, but basically it is a state of life, a philosophy. You don’t have a boss to tell you ‘take a break’. You have to tell to your self that ‘if you deserve it you can relax a bit’. And this philosophy is reflected in your choices. I couldn’t work in a musical. I have to keep a line. If you are remote from your target you lose it. I know people that do this and I can’t blame them because they have to. They have to dance for halls, cabarets even as a stripper to pay their rents. But I can see alternatives. I consider myself lucky. I got chosen for a famous team. But I don’t believe in luck. It is your background, your previous efforts and all your struggles that are in a way ‘written’ in your body. (P.G.)

CAREER TRANSITION & ANXIETY

It could be argued that is the only sector of culture that, as Joan Jeffri claims (2005: 341), it begins very early, even from scholar years, and ends very early as well, often before 40s. This is a huge anxiety for dancers and a reason of psychological destabilization added to the others burdens of the profession that are similar with the rest of cultural workers, such as the low payment and even un-payment. This burden is literally demonstrated below:

Since I was at school I remember myself always with two bags: my school bag and my dance bag. I‘ve always had wounds in my shoulders from this burden and I used to complain about it. Now I am 30 and my biggest worry is what I am going to do without my dance bag. The years that I have to ‘dispatched’ it from my shoulders are close. (E.P.)

I live the worst moments of my life. I am dancing since I was 13 now I am 30 and I am so economically insecure. I left from the company and its like you leave from a family that supported you, even it was a partial support (the 6 moths of your life). Now, I go as an individual. I am about to pay my workshop which cost 2000€ and I considered it a sort of investment for teaching but still none can guarantee it. You make all the time decisions which you think serve your aim. Of course you will do mistakes and you will learn through them. But then your active period, meaning the period that you can perform, is lost. In our school they learn us how to be passionate but they don’t learn us how to live from our passion. (P.G.)

We are aware of the precariousness. It is a decision that we deal with very early in our lives. I can’t say that I am prepared to face my after 40s’ possible unemployment. Few people are really prepared. And those who are they don’t perform so much. They lose the present because they try to gain their future. But our profession is about the moment. Lasts for a while and you give your best. (X.G.)

*If you want the full research you can contact me at annamartinou@gmail.com

**Many thanks to: Eugenia Papadaki, Martha Pasakopoulou, Marina Mazaraki, Eutuxia Panagopoulou, Myrto Grapsa, YELP Danceco, Andreas Starr, Efi Kokota, Esteban Fourmi, Vaso Gianakopoulou, Jason Caen, Xristina Gouzeli and Paul Blackman

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