Blogs of interest

I have started researching some blogs of interest to do with my questions and so far have come up with these.


Striking a work/ life balance, can Dancers be mothers and continue performing?


http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2012/may/31/dance-arts-motherhood-having-children-rights

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2009/10/motherhood-clashes-with-top-jobs-in-dance/


Is theatre ageist?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2013/feb/13/is-british-theatre-ageist

Looking again at my questions I feel that this area has the biggest scope for me as issues like wage differences might be hard to gain information on.  Please feel free to add your comments as I would like to hear of other student with similar areas of interest.

Task 4a Professional Inquiry

At the moment I am looking into my current practice and the issues and questions that emerge whilst in a working environment.  These generally involve ethics surrounding various contracts I have done;

Financial

Wage differences between Dancers and Singers.

Wage differences between Male Dancers and Female Dancers.

Performers receiving half wages during rehearsal periods.

Creating a Work/Life Balance

How can performers have a good work/life balance when working on board cruise ships or on tour?

Can professional performers continue to work after becoming a mum?

Ethics

Is it ethical for agents or agencies to charge performers to be placed on their books? Even if this is described as an administration charge?


Looking into these questions I believe they can be broken down further. 

Financial
How do wage differences effect performers during contracts?
What effect does this have on the dynamic of show teams? 
Can self esteem issues etc be attributed to people not being treated the equally? 
How do wage differences between males and females stand legally?
Where do companies stand when the hours worked balanced with the half wage drops below the legal minimum wage?
How can companies manage to pay a full wage for rehearsals when they are not receiving any money from the booking?

Creating a Work/Life Balance
How does a minimal work/life balance effect performers emotionally, mentally and physically?
Would a company employ a performer who is a parent?
Should companies assist in finding nurseries for performing mums?

Ethics
If it costs a company time to find performers work why is a fee viewed so negatively?
How does paying an agent effect the rate they charge commission at?

This is just my basic starting point so far.  I would be really interested to hear other students views and experiences relating to any of these ideas.

New module, New way of thinking?

I feel like have had a complete change of heart about the way I view my studies.  Starting module one I was so afraid of making mistakes and really was overwhelmed by the thought of studying again.  Also as I was not dancing full time, there were times when I felt my life and what I was studying were disjointed in someways.  Staring module two I actually feel quite excited and although I will be studying whilst also rehearsing full time, I will feel more involved with my day to day practice and hopefully able to draw on that in my blogs. 

Onwards and upwards, I hope everyone else is feeling as upbeat as I am about module two and looking forward to getting going! X