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?