5c. The reader and professional ethics

Now that I have thought about ethics strictly from my own point of view, I have been advised to look at it using reader 5 and  focus on how my ideas compare.

How does what you have discovered fit in with the ethics of professional inquiry and how does what you have learnt fit into the theoretical ethical framework? 

When concerning ethics, the first thing I have become aware of is, as a free lance choreographer my own personal morals and values are hugely important. The reader talk about ethics having origins in the Greek word ethos, which means character, and then goes on the state that it has further roots in moral philosophy. In order for me to have good, strong and fair professional ethics, my 'moral compass' must be strong as I am not attached to any sort of society or organisation, so therefore do not have a code of conduct laid out by anyone but myself. The importance of your own personal ethics are recognised in most situations because however rooted you are in your place of work how you feel and deal with situations affect each individual person. This idea is demonstrated perfectly using the following diagram. 

This diagram clearly shows the ripple effect your personal views have on your work, the job/ place you are working and then the audience receiving it. 

I developed this idea further by thinking about the fact that personal ethics can be informed by many sources- family values, religion, conscience. As a choreographer I could be asked to work on a project where my own personal views could determine whether I take it or not. A hypothetical situation is I could be asked to work on a piece of dance that is very disrespectful of God and may go against my Christian background. In this situation I would have to decide what was more important to me, my own morals, or the morals of my professional career. 

This personal/ professional debate was questioned in reader 5, under case study two, whereby Kevin Carter chose to let a child die because the ethical role and duty of a photographer is to observe and not interfere. From reading about this, I have learnt that I must be very aware in my professional inquiry that there maybe areas of sensitivity that I have to be aware of. In other words, I must be careful when asking questions that I don't make people question too much their own personal ethics to the point they feel uncomfortable. This case study also made me aware of the grey areas in ethics, and led me on to a debate talked about a lot in reader 5 which also can have grey areas; the debate about honesty. 

Aristotle believed that virtue is a character trait manifested in habitual action. This idea is then further explained using the example of honesty, and how honestly is not something you can't switch on and off, it is ingrained in your personality. Relating this idea to my field of work, there are points in my career already where my honest personality has been challenged and I have had to lie. I believe I have done this to avoid hurting peoples feelings and to stop potential arguments. In other words for the greater good, a theory

explored by Jeremy Bentham and JS Mill. Utilitarianism is described in the Oxford dictionary as the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority.* I think this theory is very apparent in the musical theatre/ dance industry in general. People are not always honest, for example "you didn't get that part because you were too tall", when really the reality may be they were a terrible singer! However what good would it do to upset that persons feelings? Aristotle would argue that by lying to the person they are under false pretenses that they are a good singer and it is doing far more damage not telling them than if someone was honest. However I think this example just demonstrates how grey ethics can sometimes be. Table one in the reader shows the three approaches to lying:

* Consequentialist: Could be acceptable for the greater good

* Deontologist: Always wrong

* Virtue Ethicist: Moral behavior and character as important as action

I believe all three of these ideas have a place in my profession. An example of me using consequentialist lying is me changing a dance routine in a show because the person can't execute it properly but also could avoid injury. By telling them about the injury side, but not necessarily focusing on the fact they can't do the move well, I am helping them but not upsetting them. 

An example of lying being deontologist is my lying to someone and telling them they have been cast in the show and they haven't. In all situations if someone hasn't been cast I should never tell them that they have. 

Finally an example of  virtue ethicist is me giving someone critical feedback after an audition and even suggesting I help them on areas they are struggling with. In doing this I am being honest about their weaknesses but I am offering to help as my personality is very conscientious. 

The debate between the law vs morals is another area I found I could relate to my field of work. Platos theory that ethics draws upon a sense of perception is an interesting idea. In other words, a rule which might not be acceptable in one profession is perfectly acceptable in another. A good example of this is ballet and ballet teachers. Over the years ballet teachers have had the reputation of being incredibly strict, and even using harsh methods of teaching and physical means to make students do what they require. However, against the law of today, teachers are no longer allowed to touch students, unless it is really necessary and are certainly not allowed to hurt them. Do ballet teachers today go against a tradition that has produced excellent ballet dancers in the past, or do they have to go with the new set of rules of today? This grey area is something that as a choreographer I could come up against. The methods of teaching dancers are different to that of many other teachers, and I must always be careful that while I want the best possible outcomes for my students, I mustn't do anything that could affect my career and get me into trouble. 

This theory nicely links on to table 2; professional types. This table shows the distinction between different professions and for me raises the question as to whether you are better qualified for your job through experience or qualifications. This is something as dance teachers is regularly debated. Throughout November I am covering classes at Chichester University even though I don't have a P.G.C.E or dance teaching qualifications. However the table demonstrates that what professionals have (whatever the type (consulting, scholarly or professional)) is the ability to 'profess' and know better than their clients and therefore claim exclusive right to practice. So if I take this literally then I have every right to teach as my experience means I know more than the students I am teaching. 

The final area that I found I could fit in with my professional inquiry is that of negotiation. The diagram below is a good way to show how personal ethics, professional code and employer expectation should all try and work together in order to create a good working environment.

This is something that is very important as a choreographer as quite often you work as part of a creative team all with different visions and ideas, and you have to learn to somehow work all together. In addition to this, you also have to learn to negotiate with the students in the room. This is something I have learnt a lot about working at Chickenshed Theatre. Because my dance background has always been very regimented and technical I was taught that there was almost a right and wrong way to dance. However by working at Chickenshed I have learnt that this is not the case, and therefore I have had to completely later my perspective. I have altered my way of teaching, approaching and choreographing and have negotiated with them to find a way to access their style of dance which works for me. This section in the reader really prompted me to realise and also made me see that negotiation in any form of work is a vital ethical idea to work by. Non negotiation is the reason for the breakdown of friendships,companies and even starts wars. By relating it to my field of work I am making it accessible for me. 

Bringing everything I have learnt together, ethics is a very complex topic. There are a lot of theories explored around it and yet there is not a right or a wrong answer. However, with the nature of this course this way of debating fits perfectly as drawing specific conclusions are not the aim, but rather discovering finding and learning are.
Developing the ideas in reader 5 and then relating them to myself as a choreographer have allowed me to make sense of certain situations that have happened to me in the past and also be aware of things that may happen in the future. I found especially the section on honesty was very interesting as there have been times where I haven't known whether I'm doing the right thing, but by reading further into the topic I can see that I am only doing the right thing in some people's eyes and not in others. This I think will help me be less worried in the future and more confident in my decisions.
In terms of my professional inquiry and how I use what I have discovered, I can see that when writing my proposal there is a lot more factors to think about that I first thought. For example people's own personal views and backgrounds must be taken into consideration as they have a big effect on their professional career. I must be careful when asking questions that I don't put anyone in an uncomfortable position.  This is something I hadn't thought about until I began this topic. Another area is that of qualification. The debate about experience vs qualifications when teaching was something I was keen to debate. However, from looking at table 2 in the reader and making so much sense of it, I am not sure I am so bothered by it. I still want to investigate the area but maybe not put so much focus on it.
Finally I have learnt that so many of the ethics I have researched and related to can be put into any job or situation. The following four especially stood out to me as universal:
* The idea that your personal ethics greatly affect your professional ones
* Negotiation is the key to making most places of work/ relationships work
* Honestly is something that should be used as frequently as possible but in the right context
* The law/ rules can sometimes compromise/ question your ethics and morals

I feel that I now need to re look at my inquiry with this new perspective and I will probably find things have slightly altered!

*http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/utilitarianism 

5b. The broader view on ethics

It was impossible for me to find specific free lance choreographers 'codes of conduct' as they tend to tie in with personal morals and so instead of being written down for the public to view, they are ingrained in each individual person. So I decided to look at a range of theatre's and teaching boards instead. I have selected the following 5 different codes of conduct to study and compare.The reason for this is these 5 are very varied in their history and style, but they all made me think in some way.

Under Polka Theatre's artistic values the following three points are written:

* Resonant – to provoke ideas, thoughts, questions about yourself and the world

* Engaging – to stir your emotions & spark your imagination

* Fun, exciting & entertaining – serious purpose, but with a playful, light touch

The reason I have highlighted these values is because I didn't think about what I wanted my students to get out of my sessions. I was so initially concerned in what I should be doing, and how I should act that I didn't think about desired outcomes of each individual session. By bringing to my attention the idea that each session should be exciting as well as informative, it may alter my approach to how I deliver the material. However I think it is very important to note that this code of conduct comes from a children's theatre company, and that if I was choreographing for a adult professional show I probably wouldn't focus on this. This sparks an awareness in my head- do my ethics alter depending on who I am working with? In general I think nothing should change, however some points my be added or taken away depending on the situation.  

When looking at Chickenshed Theatre under the Inclusive Child Protection Policy, I found the importance of focusing on the progress of the individual very interesting, and also how they approach it.
The conduct reads:

Chickenshed will ensure that there are strong Staff to Child and Inclusive Support Worker to Child Ratios in workshops. Staff and Inclusive Support Workers will offer a range of direct and indirect support experiences to ensure children are able to both progress steadily to managing their own inclusion with as much independence as possible – while at the same time being as “safe” as possible.

Chickenshed will ensure that all children are treated as individuals with their progress, welfare and needs monitored and planned for on an individual basis

I think it is particularly interesting that Chickenshed talk about direct and indirect support. What does this mean to me? I guess direct support literally means having a hands on approach to the work and being there to help with the material, something I think I naturally do as a choreographer and teacher. However indirect support is a bit more complex. I think it partly means that you should encourage the student to find their own way of approaching the material by being an open supportive member of the class. I also think it means you should be sensitive to the individuals personal life and asses whether extra emotional support is needed. I think this is an important element to consider when choreographing as sometimes the vision you want to create cannot be achieved for whatever reason. Rather than just criticising and getting frustrated it may be more appropriate to work through the problem by utalising the individuals talent.  

In addition to this thought, I think the fact that Chickenshed take so much care in the individuals progress really inspiring and something people can forget when choreographing. Sometimes my profession can become selfish as it is all about the choreographers vision and what they want, rather than the overall experience for the student/ company member. I think this is something that should be reminded to people.

The Chichester Festival Theatre's Holiday Activity Assistant guidelines state the following:

The needs of the child must come first – not the workshop activities or the sharing performance at the end of the week.  

This idea really made me think about the practical side of putting together a workshop and about how as a practitioner you have to constantly be aware of the needs of the people you are working with, even if it means compromising the workshop and sometimes affecting the others in the room. I need to as a choreographer, be constantly aware of the health and safety risks especially when working with young people.

The Royal Academy of Dance under the Code of Professional Practice talks about their vision as

Leading the world in dance education and training

I have highlighted this point as it is very contrasting to Polka Theatre's theory of fun and entertainment. The R.A.D conduct does later go on to talk about how classes should be fun, but it is very obvious that the R.A.D's expectations are to train students in dance from a practical and educational perspective. Adapting this to myself as a free lancer, this point has made me aware that I have to be aware of what my desired outcomes are for each individual project. For example, this month I am covering classes at Chichester University and I will be preparing them for their assessments. I must be aware that when I cover these classes it is expected of me to be informative and concise in what I am teaching so that I give the students the best possible chance of doing well in their assessments. This completely contrasts to a workshop I am taking this Friday for the Chichester Festival Theatre which involves me choreographing a fun routine to One Short Day from Wicked,as the workshop is a fun half term activity.

The R.A.D conduct also states that teachers must at all times:

*act with honesty and integrity

*have secure subject knowledge

*keep their knowledge and skills as teachers up to date

*engage in self-evaluation

*forge positive professional relationships, and

*work with parents and guardians in the best interests of their students

*Misrepresent their qualifications, experience or professional status

I have highlighted the two points above because one challenged me to think about myself as an ever evolving choreographer and to be open to adapting my methods of choreography and teaching and the other challenged me how I present/ sell myself. The latter point is something I had't thought about at all but is something I can see is very important. I must always be honest with my skills and qualifications so that I don't mislead anyone or put anyone in a compromising position.

Finally the I.S.T.D conduct was very similar to the R.A.D conduct but just not as detailed. I just wanted to bring up this point purely because it could be argued that a few simple ethics are easily to keep and put in place than too many that you can't remember or practice regularly. I must make sure that the points I put in place are realistic and important to me so that I can keep to them as much as possible.

When looking at all 5 of the conducts there were some common points in all which I think are worth mentioning. They are as follows:

* The importance of communicating with parents/ carers

*The importance of monitoring and planning each individual's progress

* How important it is to be well trained in your area of work

The importance of confidentiality

From studying these 5 conducts I have found that rather than changing my original ideas, I want to add a couple more points, but also I have become very aware of the fact that some situations require me to alter my perspective. This shows how 'grey' ethics can be. There is never a right or wrong, rather a way to help you in different situations. I would like to add the following to my original points: 

* Under professionalism I would like to add that I must be honest with my qualifications and experience. 

* Under prepared I would like to add to alter my sentence to I must take the time to prepare appropriately for the project I am working on. I then want to add I must always be aware of the desired outcomes for the session and try to always fulfill these outcomes.

*I want to add a section called progress so that I make sure that (when appropriate) I am making sure the progress of the students is the fore front of my mind and that I do everything I can to tailor their progress individually. The reason I have put when appropriate is on certain projects this is not. For example when choreographing for the Union Theatre my job was very much to help get the choreography taught and onto the stage, not to improve and help the dancers as they were already professionally trained. 

WOW! I feel so drained yet so excited by all that I have discovered! That was one epic blog! 

5a. The personal perspective on professional ethics

I am looking at my initial approach to professional ethics for myself as a free lance choreographer. The ideas I am blogging are the first ideas I had when I thought about this area.

My professional view on ethical considerations are as follows....

* Professionalism- This includes me being co- operative, fair and considerate with my colleges and students. In addition to this I must be polite, on time and contactable. 

*Prepared- I must take the time to prepare for the project I am working on. I must consider music, style and who I am working with and be sensitive to dance ability. This is important as I must show respect for the project by taking the time to think about it outside of the rehearsal room. 

*Delivery- I must be able to explain my ideas clearly and then deliver them professionally. I must be aware of the fact that people learn in many different ways, and be sensitive to this to ensure the work is performed to the highest level. 

*Safety- This includes me properly warming up and cooling down the company to prevent injury. I must also make sure I take the time to find out whether people are injured, and not put anyone in a situation where they could seriously damage themselves or make a current injury worse. I must also think about safety from a literal sense in that I should be aware of hazards in the room, fire exits and first aid kits. 

*Emotional well being- I must ensure that at no point any company member/ student is made to feel uncomfortable or invaluable.

Now the majority of these points I naturally do already. However, there are some which I tend to neglect, especially under the category 'safety', and others can be compromised depending on certain situations. For example, I was recently working on a professional show at the Union Theatre. The choreographer and I were teaching a routine to the company which required quite high technical dance ability. However, I was not sensitive enough to the fact that some of the cast didn't have as much training, and it wasn't until I went away and thought about it that night that I realised I hadn't attempted to teach the material in a more accessible way. I had just stuck to my guns. This is an example of how ethics can easily be forgotten,and while this wasn't drastic and didn't have any major repercussions I think it is important to reflect on and see how easily you can forget.  

4a.The questions developed

So for the past week I have been thinking a lot about the set of questions I want to ask, and how I want to develop my investigation.

I originally divided up my questions into 3 sections as I felt that was the clearest way to sort out my initial ideas. I have now managed to combine some of these thoughts together.

I have decided that I want to explore the individuals choreographic process; why this works for them and how they then engage with this process and the people they are teaching.
Factors that add to this are different styles of dance, age groups and dance experience and own personal past experience.

My set of questions so far are as follows:

* Do you have a specific choreographic process that you have developed personally for you?
            * Does music influence or choreography or do you create the movement first?
            * Do you tend to plan your choreography before you teach it or do you run off instinct?
            * Does your choreographic process change depending on who you are teaching?
            * Do different styles of dance require a different approach?
            * Do you find styles you naturally enjoy easier to create?

* Has your choreographic process be influenced your past experience?

* Do you think different people's personality's/ personal life effect the way you approach choreography?

* Have you trained as a professional performer?
           * Have you performed as a professional performer?

* Do you have teaching qualifications?
           * If yes, have these qualifications altered your approach/ delivery of choreography?

I realise at the moment that I have a wide set of questions. However, because I feel my initial question is quite complex, I need sub questions in order to focus things more and allow me to get maximum research.

4a. The initial questions

So... After a very long break from the blogging world, it is time for me to get back into it! I feel very nervous and scared that I won't be able to get back into the swing of this course. However, I have just had a skype session with Adesola and Melanie Brown, and now feel ready to plunge back into the module!

Over the summer I kept a sparse general to keep my mind constantly active when it came to this course. From module 1,  I discovered that the idea that really interested me was 'Why do we choreograph in the way that we do?'

Reader 4 states that module 2 is designed to explore a topic that will benefit your work and the work of collegues and fellow professionals. This statement is a good reminder to me that I must not get to bogged down with my own opinion, but rather explore and challenge past opinions and also find and create new ones.

Melanie and Adesola suggested that I blog my initial questions and then explore the world of literature and find out if anyone has explored these ideas before.

I have managed to narrow down my questions into 3 categories....

Choreography 

* Why do different choreographers have different creative processes?
* Are these different processes mainly linked to their personality, past experience, or the situation they are dealing with at the time?
* Does experience mean that you plan less before hand and allow your instincts to take over?
* Do different styles of dance require a different process?

Teaching

* What is more effective to make you better overall dancer, teaching technical exercises and building up vocabulary or allowing students to create work and developing technique as you go?
* How can one class effectively assess the skills of every person in the room?
* What is the most effective way of delivering dance?

Experience

* In the professional industry is vocational training important in order to teach in the industry?
* Do teachers have to have qualifications to be a good teacher?
* Does having performing experience make you a better teacher?
* Can all good performers teach?

Reflecting on these questions I can already see that some are a bit vague and need to be more specific, especially in the 'choreographic' section. This is frustrating, as this is the topic that initially interested me so I am going to try and develop it further.

I feel this whole area is a mine field and I need to slowly chisel away to develop the ideas and my thoughts.

Adesola advised me to think of myself as a butterfly or honey bee, taking little bits of knowledge from everywhere, rather than focusing to much on one area. I am going to try my hardest to stick to this imagery and try not to worry too much. Easier said than done I feel!