Dancing Parents Special Focus on Evolution
After dancers’ enforced time off resulted in a mini baby boom, One Dance UK’s Katie Stevens looks at the organisations and researchers advocating for resources for dancing parents and their growing families.
Forced time off recently gave some dancers a chance to step back from gruelling schedules and grow their families without missing out on their performing career once touring life resumes. The Royal Ballet alone saw four of their dancers starting families in the past year. However, now that restrictions have been lifted, and performances and touring are back in the picture, how is the dance sector evolving to support these new dancing parents and carers?
Katie Stevens
28 The One Dance UK Magazine | Autumn 2021
Chloe Hillyar, founder of The Pregnant Dancer, found in her research that 27 out of 50 dance artists she interviewed have children, and out of the 23 who didn’t, 18 expressed that they wanted them. When 45 out of 50 artists either want or plan to have children or already have them, it’s clear to see that more robust parental provisions are extremely important to those working in dance. Aside from the well-resourced Royal Ballet, there are some dance companies setting a standard for the dance sector. For example, New Adventures commits to supporting their parent and carer workforce by putting in place family-friendly practices such as extra assistance with accommodation and travel arrangements, and are keen to keep the dialogue open and flowing to allow for changes to suit each individual. This has been life-changing for the ‘dance parents’ involved. The stark reality is, however, that there is little support for freelancers, and smaller companies don’t have the infrastructure to support working parents. In Northern Ireland and Ireland, the picture appears bleaker; there are no dance companies that operate full time across the entire year and maternity leave is a real luxury that few in the sector can afford.
“Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) recently carried out research with performing artists, finding that 72% of parents and carers responding to their survey were considering leaving their profession.” Positive steps are being made to improve the situation for parents and carers. Dance Mama, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) and The Pregnant Dancer amongst others are all making waves to help drive the conversation forward and encourage companies to allow space for parents, carers and their children to feel supported when returning to work. What seems to be clear when looking at the work that these organisations are undertaking is the requirement for a large-scale cultural change. Professor Angela Pickard, Dance Lead and Researcher for PiPA’s forthcoming study about dance parents and Professor at Canterbury Christ Church University, explains “although the more established dance companies have the infrastructure to
