5a. Ethics in the workplace

It is extremely important to be aware of the many ethics involved  working as a performer/teacher.  In this blog post, I will discuss the ethics of a performer working in the UK and abroad and I will also write about the ethics I need to consider when teaching a dance workshop to children, as I also do this quite regularly.

Ethics I must follow in order to be a professional performer

Auditions:

• Present yourself well e.g. appearance.
• Remember to follow good etiquette towards panellists and other dancers (which some people may find difficult as they are in competition with them).
• If not successful, be respectful and hold in your feelings until you have left the room (you never know when you might have to audition for them again).
• Be considerate when other dancers are performing the movements/routine.
• Respect the audition criteria e.g. height restrictions, special requirements.  Don't turn up anyway when you don't fit that criteria , because there is normally a good reason why they have asked to see people with that criteria and you will waste your time and theirs.
• Do yourself justice and perform to the best of your ability. 

Rehearsals:

• Respect the choreographer and the other dancers around you.
• Always dance full out unless stated to do so otherwise.
• Make sure everyone is involved and no one is left on their own as you are a cast and will be working together.
• Don't be lazy just because you have the job.
• Follow the directors/choreographers instructions.

Performance:

• Perform exactly what has been choreographed/practised.
• Perform to the best of your ability.
• If you want to film the show, make sure you have gained permission from the choreographer and the other members of the cast.
• The director/choreographer should make sure the movements/costumes/theme of the show is appropriate for the age of the audience.

I have experience of working abroad and in the UK and the ethics whilst working abroad are a lot more relaxed and sparse on their part, compared to the ethics working in the UK.  However, it is important you remain professional and follow the personal ethics you would abide by when working in a professional environment in the UK.

My experiences working abroad

When I danced in Cyprus, touring Paphos dancing in various Hotels, bars and even a boat show, it was obvious they had a much more laid back approach to health and safety and also sadly our welfare.  We would turn up to the venue and be given our changing space, which was often any space as close to the stage as possible.  Many of the hotels were very helpful and either gave us hotel rooms, or a backstage dressing room with mirrors and lights, which gave us plenty of space for our quick changes.  However, in some of the smaller venues such as the bars, we were often put in a tiny store room with lots of stock in, or cornered off areas with hardly any room at all.

When we performed on the boat show, we had already done a previous show and by this time the boat had sailed, so we were put onto a speed boat each week to take us to the boat in order to do our show.  It would be pitch black by this point and the boat was tiny and we had to fit four of us onto it, each with a suitcase of costumes and also the driver of the boat.  The Cypriot driver used to mess around and tip the boat from side to side thinking it was funny.  This however put our safety at risk, not to mention the engine cut out one time and we were left stranded in the sea until he got it to work again. Our changing area on the boat was in an open space behind the bar with nothing to cover us so all the male employers on the boat would watch us get changed and any passengers needing the toilet would also have to walk past.  It was hard to cover up and get changed discreetly, because we just had to throw our costume off and get the next one on in order to make the next routine in time!

Many of the floors were also a  health issue, this hindered us from doing the routine properly so we didn't put ourselves at risk of injury.  Many of the hotels had a clear dancing area, with an even dance floor which was safe to dance on.  While in many of the bars, we were required to dance outside on uneven concrete floors.  At one particular venue there were many pot holes in the floor, which made us very wary and we found ourselves concentrating more on not falling down the holes rather than performing the routines.  

Although we knew a lot of it was wrong and would be against health and safety, we would all just get on with it, as we knew it was just their more relaxed way of life.  Should we just grin and bare it or should we complain more?  I think in our case, the problems were small and we knew it was only for a short amount of time, as we would be at the venue for a maximum of an hour, so we would just put up with it.  However, if someone had got hurt or the matters were more serious we would then have to stand up for ourselves in order to claim our rights and prevent anything happening to other dancers.

The pay for working abroad is quite low and some jobs I have seen advertised recently are asking dancers to work for free?! You wouldn't expect any other employer with a specific skill, who has trained professionally through blood, sweat and tears, to work for free, so why is it okay to ask us?  I feel when you are out of training, it is not about gaining the "experience" for your CV, it is about trying to earn a living!  

I am a member of Equity, which fortunately has our welfare and best interests at heart and will put guidelines down as to what is acceptable and what isn't.  There has recently been a debate about performers working for free for a "Kylie Minogue" music video.  I have put the link below:

http://dancelounge.com.au/news/kylies-dancers-expected-to-work-for-free-paythedancers/

We are lucky to have organisations like these supporting us and we have to stick together and let people treat us how we deserve to be treated.


Ethical codes and conducts to follow as a teacher/choreographer

As a dance teacher it is important to follow many ethical codes for the safety of the children and also to cover yourself.

• Must have a current DBS check.
• Must be first aid trained or have someone in the building who is.
• Don't be left alone with a child.  Luckily, I teach the workshop with another dancer which limits the chances of being left alone with a child.  
• Always ask permission first if you have to physically correct the child e.g. put them into the correct position.
• Make sure I carry Public Liability Insurance.
• Always get permission from the parent/guardian if the child is under 16, if you want to film a dance or take photographs for marketing purposes to promote further workshops. For our workshop the parents/guardians have to sign a consent form, this allows all parents to take photos and videos during the show at the end of the day.  However, if one parent refuses to sign the form then no one is allowed to take photos or film.  We have had someone refuse to sign the form before, however in order to please everyone we got the children to do the 10 minute performance twice.  Once without photographs and then the parent took their child home and on the second performance the audience were allowed to film.  However, if the show had been longer we wouldn't have been able to do this.
• We make sure we have up to date information of any medical issues any of the children have e.g. asthma, injuries etc.  They also eat their lunch together during the day so it is always important we check if the children have any allergies and ask if any of the other children have that specific food.  We then make sure they don't eat near the food they are allergic to, to avoid any reactions.
• I did a week summer school with children aged 7-11 and I had to be aware of the copyright and licensing laws regarding the music and script I was using. 
• It is important to be enthusiastic to encourage the children.
• It is important to not raise your voice in an aggressive way.
• Make sure you have a good discipline method.  When I teach the workshop, I give the child three warnings and then if they still aren't behaving they have to sit out for the amount of years they are e.g. 6 year old = 6 mins etc.
• It is important to be approachable and fun, yet still hold authority.
• I make sure the surroundings are safe before the class starts e.g. check the low plug sockets are switched off and covered, all wires are taped down or hidden, the floor space is clear and clean.
• I always make sure the clothes they are wearing won't put them at risk of falling over and hurting themselves e.g no socks, no jewellery.
• I make sure I do a sufficient warm up and cool down.
• It is also important you do not copy other dancers/choreographers work and pass it off as your own.  This is known as Plagiarism.
• I plan the end performance so every child in the workshop is at the centre and the front at some point of the performance to make it fair.  It is important not to show favouritism as it could discourage some students.
• I always make sure I use praise where it is due.  This rewards the child who has worked hard and encourages the other students to do well so they can also receive praise.