5C: Understanding Ethics and ethical connotations of the inquiry

Ethics; personal, professional and universal.   What are the ethical connotations of planning my inquiry?

Planning my interview for dance practitioners poses many normative questions.  

"What is a professional dancer?"  Can I use 'professional' as a term as many practitioners would pose the question, are we only a professional if we are trained / paid?  This is a term I used freely when explaining my plan with Adesola, and as a choreographer and researcher herself she pointed out the difficulties I would face using this expression.

"The problematic positioning of dance as a sub-discipline in physical education or theater." As eloquently described by Doug Risner in 'Equity in Dance Education where are we now?' (2006), I often feel that the general opinion of dance is that it is given less credibility as an art than for example drama or fine art.   For example, when I was growing up drama was offered throughout secondary education as a core subject, but we had dance as a sub sector of PE taught one term a year. 

However the interesting normative question that comes from this topic is "is dance as important in education as academic subjects?"  For an answer to this we must look closely at the individual to know if dance is important to their learning.  in the respect I am looking at the problem from a virtue ethics stand point.   Looking at the character not the action, and understanding why something is important for that individual.  

However, if we pose the question 'is dance as important as maths in mainstream education?'  from a view on consequentialism, it is not.  As we live in a World where to succeed to a degree academically is important for career and financial options later on.   So for the greatest good to the greatest number, maths is more important.

In terms of equality in dance I often feel that the ugly truth in my current work is that dance is elitist.   In my classes only the students that can afford it financially can come.  Meaning that I am not surrounded my a culturally diverse mix of studnets.

'As a collective, we have contributed to our own marginalization. That is, we have allowed ourselves (overworked and under-funded), to sequester ourselves in the comfort of our own studios and programs, finding great challenge and reward in the fulfilling and meaningful isolation of teaching students' (Risner, D. 2006) I agree with this point to a degree.  Teaching, in the context of standing at the front of the studio and teaching knuts and bolts of dance is isolating, and in some respects lacking creatively.  However, what Risner fails to include is that there is more to dance 'teaching' than this.  More exciting is a process of artistic interpretation of dancers ideas for a piece and incorporating the people into the creation.   I have found, albeit with my small experience of choreography, that this process is in fact the opposite of isolating.

I intend to interview choreographers of community dance as they work with a broader range people from different backgrounds and with different experiences.   I would like to find out whether this has changed their creative process.   I would like to work more with mixed groups of dancers, particularly older people as their would be a wealth of life experience to drive the emotion motive behind a piece.

In my own inquiry I will be interviewing dance practitioners and choreographers on  their creative process.  Particularly how they work with mixed groups, how they come up with a concept and how they hold rehearsals with people who may have never danced before.   In writing on my findings I will use synonyms or not identify the interviewee.  Although some may be happy to give consent, I want the choreographers to give honest opinions on some quotes I will prepare from my research.  Due to professional acquaintance they may not give an honest answer if they believe their name will be stated in the interview.  I must also make sure that they can contact myself or the university if they wish to withdraw form the inquiry at any point.

  

 

Bio:

Risner, D. 2006 'Equity in dance where are we now?' Journal of dance education 2006

Middlesex university 2014, Reader 5 Module 2 BaPP (Arts)