Pilot survey

So here is my pilot survey, please have a look. Any advice or comments are more than welcome. 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VVLW29R

the more choice you have, the less satisfied you are with your choice

So recently I was in New York City and me an my husband and went to see the ' BodyWorlds Pulse' Exhibition by  Gunther Von Hagens. Let me just tell you, it was soooo interesting although I wouldn't recommend it if you are squeamish. There was one particular concept that really really stood out to me and it was an experiment they did. They gave one group of people 1 chocolate (so no choice), they gave the 2nd about 10 chocolates to choose from and the third maybe 25,I can't remember exact statistics. Anyway the results showed that the 2nd group were ther ones who felt the most satisfaction with their choice. So the conclusion was, "the more choice you have, the less satisfied you are with your choice". I think this is so true. These days we are spoilt for choice within most aspects of life so it tends to make our final decsion less satisfying because we alway worry if we have not made the right choice.

A change of professional mentor. Welcome Miss Wainwright

So back in task 4:C I identified my professional mentor which was one of my ex company managers. However due to life, her circumstances have changed and she is extremely busy with her own business so won't be able to offer me as much time as she would like. We both came to the agreement that it would be better to identify another associate. I would have loved to carry on with her as my professional mentor but I don't think it is fair of me to put her under more stress than she already has. 

I have identified my new professional mentor who has been right under my nose the whole time. Rebecca Wainwright is a teacher as well as a good friend. Rebecca has suppoerted me from the beginning of this course. I have had so many discussions with her on different matters and she helps me to broaden my thinking and see things from another angle. I have recently been discussing ethics with her and being a secondary school teacher she is well up on this so really helped me to understand. She has worked in various countries around the world the last one being Chicago. She was there for 2 years teaching in a private school. I think Rebecca Wainwright is the perfect mentor because without realising it she has been mentoring me all this time anyway. Being a teacher and having the life experience, she possesses invaluble knowledge which she can filtrate down to me inorder for me to do the best I can.

SIG

Hey bapper's I would really appreciate it if you could join my SIG pretty please and thank you. The link is below

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624585707801950/

Danni xx

5:C

Here is my 5:C. I have put it in google docs because it seems less overwhelming  there compared to a blog. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/132zxHHZpsgcsMgqC7h62PITwcuL7ANQsl62osUs3mgE

Please hav a little read and any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Danni x

5:B Actual Codes of conduct, Regulations and Ethics in my work place.

So for this task I started by studying my employment agreement, for the first time ever, I am extremely lax when it comes to things like this I am too trusting and just sign it usually. I have come unstuck once before doing that with pay, luckily they sorted it for me. I think we are all a culprit of this at times. How many times have you just accepted the new terms and conditions of iTunes? Have you ever actually read it? I know I haven't, I could have sold my soul to Apple and I would have no idea. Oops, anyway, back on track, my seafarers agreement. What are the main points within this document? 

Personal details

Employer

Job details

Pay and working hours

Contract terms

Probation terms

Notice period

Terms and conditions of employment

Policies and procedures

Pay

Travel

Pension

Medical and sickness

Personal injury and death in service

Facilities & personal effects

Uniforms

Training/certificates of competency

Health and safety

Standards and performance

Shipboard accounts

Severance

Trade union membership

Arbitration, venue and resolution of claims, controversies or disputes

Governing law

Severability

Now these are the main categories, it does go into much more depth such as relationships onboard, zero tolerance to drugs ad so on. Within this document many more rules, regulations and codes of conduct are mentioned such as 'Fleet Regulations/standing orders' , 'health and safety', 'code of business conduct and ethics'. As soon as we get onboard we are given inductions so we understand all the rules and regulations and we have to sign to say that we have understood. We have to do relevant training so that we are compliant with emergency duties, environmental legislation and other compulsory regulations such as COSHH, safeguarding, data protection and as soon as we have completed the training we sign so if we don't comply the blame is off the company and on us, they trained us and we signed to say we fully understood.

There are so many rules and regulations on the ship from General things such as, no jeans on deck, must be in rig of the day in the mess ( you can't go and have your dinner in your own clothes, you have to be in rig of the day or uniform) armpits must be covered in the buffet area,  skirts must be one hand above the knee, this is all in the grooming regulations. So from that to more serious offences, you must not drink more than the legal uk drink drive limit at any time, zero tolerance to drugs (you will be handed over to the local authorities so god help you if you are in Thailand or somewhere where the drug laws are the death penalty), sexual harassment is not tolerated (you will be dismissed), if you are sick you must call 999 and remain in your cabin, norovirus Is very contagious especially on a ship, it can lead to port authority's not letting the ship dock if there is a major outbreak. If you don't report it, it is a disciplinary offence.  These are just a few of the rules and regs we have to comply with.

We also have rules such as being careful what we talk to passengers about, we can't talk about company issues which is pretty understandable, we can't say anything negative against the company, also understandable and we should avoid topics such as politics, religion and so on. Something else we have to be extremely careful with is social media. There is a team now who specifically keep an eye on social media so you do have to be so carful otherwise you can get yourself in trouble without even trying. Anything that puts the company in bad light is not good for you or the company. We should help keep the company reputation up there with the best because without them we have no job. A good quote from the loyalty girls onboard to our passengers "without you there would be no us". 

So these are very ship based rather than dance based but I work on a ship so that is what we have to adhere to. However we are generally work for an external company too who will provide the cruise company with the shows and the ethics within that setting can be somewhat different. I am on a fixed term contract so I am not guaranteed more work and I am aware that loyalty can be a problem in some companies, even when a good job has been done, fresh meat sometimes more desired than loyal, reliable employees and because the contract is for only 6 months there no commitment there from the company to the dancer,  so security for a dancer is non existent.

I think being on a ship and in the dance world is very strict and sometimes ethics can become somewhat of a grey area. You don't have an awful lot of say, especially in dance. In dance we have rights obviously but it is feared to go against what is being asked even if you don't agree with it. If you do, you will then be deemed to have an "attitude" and if you have one of those, more than likely you won't be re-employed which most dancers fear. I get the impression that much like children 'dancers should be seen an not heard' . I have known it where dancers have expressed an opinion and let's just say it didn't go down in their favour. I do feel we are sometimes treated like children, but we are so easily replaced, if you want the job you deal with it. It is not ethical but it's the way it is. I do think it is slowly improving.

On a ship I have known of disciplinary action being taken against  a crew member for going against what the people in charge expected. They did what they thought to be ethically correct. I and many others were in agreement with the crew member and it took guts for the crew member to stand up and do what they thought to be right. I think the crew member got a warning. I won't go into any more detail because if I do I fear I will be treading on thin ice. I came across something interesting which relates to this it is called the 'milgram experiment on obedience'. Derren Brown also recreated it not so long ago, it is very interesting. See the link below.

https://youtu.be/PJFzqfLMBIw 

This video explains the Milgram experiment.

https://youtu.be/y6GxIuljT3w

This video is Derren Brown's recreation of the Milgram experiment.

https://youtu.be/yr5cjyokVUs

This is a little footage from the original experiment.

Back in the day I am told that ships were faced with bribery for alcohol and cigarettes from port authorities in the likes of Egypt and places like that. Now there are rules a regs to say they will not surrender to bribery, some ports still try it but the company are strict on this and it is not tolerated.

I have been at sea for a while so I am pretty much aware of the rules and regulations in which affect me. It can be very overwhelming to newcomers because there is a lot to get to grips with. New rules and regs are always coming out though so you do have to remain aware of changes as it is our responsibility to know the rules, understand and adhere to them as it states in the 'Seafarers Employment agreement' otherwise disciplinary action can be taken. 

5:A my thoughts on Ethics and Regulations in my work place.

Ethics

noun

1.

(used with a singular or plural verb) a system of moral principles:

the ethics of a culture.

2.

(used with a plural verb) the rules of conduct recognised in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture,etc.:

medical ethics; Christian ethics.

3.

(used with a plural verb) moral principles, as of an individual:

His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.

4.

(used with a singular verb) that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.

Aaaaggggghhhhh, ethics are driving me mad, what is an ethic and what is not? Ethics are huge. I found this video online which I found quite helpful.

http://youtu.be/NO4mgCDtMXs

I'm finding 'Ethics' quite difficult because I think it is such an extensive subject and I am struggling to locate the boundaries between ethics and other categories. My understanding of ethics- "it is a set of rules which are more like morals, they are set to help people make the right decisions and behave in the correct way" almost like the Ten Commandments however ethics are not necessarily written down, it's almost like ' the unwritten rules' for example, you know you shouldn't steal your friend's boyfriend, now that isn't a rule as such, but you know you shouldn't do it, it is an unwritten rule. Intuition indicates that it is the wrong thing to do and generally it is not something you would have to think twice about to make an "ethical judgement" because it  comes naturally because it should be the way we have been brought up. That isn't the best example but I think it gets my point across. 

The example used in the video above with the goldfish in the blender "in the name of art" is completely unethical, I don't care if it is art, in my opinion it is not art, it is cruelty, but unfortunately like it mentions in the video above "ethics are open to interpretation".  This I think is ethically wrong, however, someone else may have reasoning to see otherwise. The video States that according to Aristotle "we are virtuists when we use reason excellently".

So without referring to any documents or discussions I have done a spider diagram to gather my thoughts on ethics and regulations within my work place. I find personal and professional ethics have a very fine line,it is sometimes difficult to decipher what is personal and what is just being a professional. 

I know a lot can affect people's personal ethics due to background, culture, religion and possibly gender but that I would say is more predominant in a social setting rather than a work setting these days. I work on a ship so work and social are very close. We have lots of nationalities, cultures and religions onboard so you do have to be mindful of that. 

We have to be particularly mindful when we are travelling around the world, for example, in Dubai we have to respect their culture and religion by wearing the appropriate attire. No matter how hot it is and how much we want to wear a vest and shorts we can't because it is disrespectful to the people of Dubai, we have to cover up and listening to my ethical intuition I know the right thing is to respect those people and their beliefs.  That is off the ship, whilst on the ship there are also lots of rules and regulations to adhere to which I have put into my spider diagram below.

My ethics and regulations in the work place.

I think ethics and regulations are imperative in order to run a successful organisation and more importantly to be a good human being. If these ethics and regulations were not in place there would be endless issues within the world. Ethics are rules that are there to help protect everyone, employers, employees, students and customers.

Everyone's interpretation of ethics will be different but generally I think most people read from the same page on most things. We need to be good honest people and do the right thing.

I sometimes think in the dance industry  there are a lot of unethical things that take place, not so much in my company. Generally for a dance job you do have to look a certain way, be a certain size/weight, height, is that ethical? I don't think so, if you can do the job well why shouldn't you be employed? They need people who are aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes they look for a specific race? Is that ethical? Sometimes girls get jobs not nessaccarliy because of their talents in dancing. I do think the dance world is getting better on things like this, but it does have a long way to go. On some ships people get paid different salaries for doing the same job dependant on their nationality and where they live, surely that isn't ethical? 

I hope I haven't gotten lost in the world of ethics, the topic is huge.

4D literature reviews

Hello Bloggers,

So I have read a lot of things regarding interests for my inquiry and shortlisted 3 to review. Please take a look at my reviews below.

Review one

A dancer dies twice 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11BRNJ2mZsJ8mMzdMWS2EQZ1I5zVFIcoY78Lzswq9law

Review two 

Early Retirement: Signs of life after dance.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11DWXvlzaibAW1_MdSRu9t6lchLK2N1P42XYMOTpEuUc

Review three

'All good thing must come to an end' life after dance

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11KVmrMy4QTQKoF5g2DbRIathen2LbMOA9xnpn5DpHR8

From Burgers to Broadway

Well hello there guys. 

So I have just returned from New York City and what a fabulous time I had, I went to see the amazing Rockettes and wow not a foot out of place, they were perfection. I went to see Phantom for the 1st time ever and when that famous music resinates through the theatre it turns you cold with all the hairs standing up on the back of your neck, amazing. 

Another very interesting place I visited was 'Ellen's stardust diner' on Broadway. It is one of the coolest places I have ever visited. The waiters and waitress' have to audition to get a job there, they perform and sing to you whilst you are dining, sounds a little tacky but it is great. The talent in that diner is amazing. The moto for the diner is "from burgers to Broadway" and many of Ellen's staff have made it, there are headshots all over of young hopefuls who have cracked the dream.

 The staff come around with a bucket called "the singers scholarship fund" in which diners can put a few dollars and that goes to the staff with the idea that they use the money for dance classes or singing lessons or anything to help them on their way to the Broadway dream. The host for the evening gave a little talk about the stardust background and mentioned how important it is to be a 'triple threat'. I couldn't agree more in this day and age, I don't think it pays to be a master of one anymore (unless you are a ballet bod of course). You have to be good at everything these days and so our industry which has always been hard to succeed in just keeps getting harder. 

So if you ever go to New York City you must visit 'Stardust'. It is an amazing place packed with talent. So "from burgers to Broadway" and let's hope it doesn't end "from Broadway to burgers". Good luck to all Ellen's staff at stardust, go and get your dream. 

I have copied a link below to a video I took in the diner and it just shows the atmosphere and how great it is. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624585707801950/permalink/1632420390351815/

Also please join my Facebook group SIG.

Thank you

Danni

#ellensstardustdiner #stardust #triplethreat #broadway #talent

Ps I'm not sure  getting this hashtag thing, but I'm trying. 😕.

Here is my facebook group too, please join me 😁.

Here is my facebook group too, please join me 😁.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624585707801950/?ref=bookmarks

Developing Questions and seeking support

I think that the questions will just keep on developing as we go. Mine have already developed just through my reading and having discussions with friends. I have also added a few extra as my thought process has uncovered new ideas. I have sent my questions to to some of my close dancer friends and I am awaiting their response. The reason for me doing this was to test my questions and pilot a questionnaire, also just to hear some advice from them. I Think one would call it 'killing two birds with one stone". I have had a few get back to me and it is already so interesting to hear how retirement affected them and made them feel as it isn't something we have REALLY discussed in great detail. With only a minimal response so far I have already shifted my idea to " do colleges help to prepare students for life after dancing" so far I'm thinking this is not the case. Maybe colleges should try and get students to devise a retirement plan, that way it may not be such a struggle and a shock when the time comes because I don't think dancers give retirement a second thought when they start out, it's not until it is too late and the pressure is on to sort your life out. I think depression is extremely common when performers come to the end of their life on stage. With a retirement plan this could maybe ease those feelings and make people feel positive for the next chapter and focus on what else they have to gain rather than focussing on what they have lost.

One of my friends in which I have contacted used to be my company manager and they have said that they will support me and help me as a professional associate. She has a lot of experience and knows me well enough to help guide me.

These are the questions I sent to my friends.

1.Did you have other interests outside of dancing that could lead on to future work?

2.Did you have any other qualifications that do not relate to dance that could lead to work?

3.Would you have liked to re-train in something completely different once you retired? If so what?   

4.Were you 100% that that is what you want to do?       

5.Do you think you will ever be as happy as when you were dancing?

6.How does not dancing professionally again make you feel? 

7.Do you think dancers are in a similar predicament to retired athletes?

8. I came across this quote "a dancer dies twice" Do you think it is fair to say? 

9.Do you think ‘normal’ people outside of the dance world understand us? 

10.Do you think that they think we are not that intelligent?

11.What options do you think a retired dancer has?

12.How did it feel when you retired?

13.Did it affect your happiness? How? Why?

14.How did you feel towards friends who were still dancing?

15.Do you still refer to yourself as a dancer? If not what? How does it make you feel?

16.Did you get any support? Family, friends, professional?

17.Would you say you have managed to ' let go' ?

18.Where you excited for the next chapter? Or worried?

19.Would you like to teach dancing?

20.Was you transition a positive or negative experience? 

21.Have you found something you love as much as performing? (job wise)

22.What would you have liked to do? Why didn’t you? IE: choreographer

23.What obstacles have you come across?

24.Did your dance college help prepare you for retirement? If so how?

25.Do you think colleges should prepare students for the next step? If so how do you think they could do that? 

26.What advise could you give to retired or retiring dancers? 

27. Is there anything else you would like to add?

SIG Retired Dancers Club

So I have set up my group. Please feel free to join. It is entitled retired dancers club,but any discussion is welcome with regards to the arts. 

I really want to set up a community of ex performers in order to create a support network for those who are close to retiring or have retired. It can be a very lonely time the transition from performing life to 'normal life' and many feel completely lost. If we have this group we can offer the help, support and advice that could help us all. It's horrid to feel lost, let's help lost performers to try and find their way.

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8434088

1st interview

So I did my first interview tonight, I think there is a lot of improvement on my behalf with regards to questions asked in order to extract the information I need. I also need to be careful not to lead the answer at times. I really enjoyed interviewing Liz De Groote and it was good to see that she has has a positive transition experience. I know I have only done one interview but with the research I have done it does seem to me that those who want to teach do have a more positive experience as apposed to those who don't want to teach because teaching seems to be the most natural progression. Anyway here is the interview I recorded with the StoryCorps App, click here to listen.

https://storycorps.me/interviews/liz-de-groote/