Respondent 3 Inquiry Questions

Interview questions BAPP Arts Inquiry

Respondent 3 has worked as a head dancer for four seasons and has worked for the company for five seasons as an entertainer.

Please discuss your experience as a head dancer and the challenges/accomplishments you have come across.

I started out with little knowledge of 'how to be a head dancer' but with the help and support from head office I learnt very quickly about the differences you come across within an entertainments team. I found that sometimes my approach was very harsh and entertainers as opposed to 'dancers' are not used to being spoken to like that. My main accomplishment is seeing people get better at performing and also putting together the halloween show each year is an incredible experience. I love seeing it all come together and getting to oversee the whole thing is brilliant! I also find it quite difficult when team members take a bad rehearsal home with them because as the head dancer you are the one to always get the blame. It's a difficult job as if you put one foot wrong everyone else is ready to pounce on you and point out your mistakes, I think that comes with any level of management though.

What skills and attributes do you think a head dancer should have and why?

Personally I think you need to be extremely confident within yourself, I have experienced team members who constantly question what I ask them to do in rehearsal but its important to stay completely true to what you believe. I find often the questioning comes from the boys on the team, they always always have to be right, it becomes very frustrating but its important to stay strong. Head dancers should be strong dancers as well, you need to be able to break things down correctly and also know how to help people with things like dynamics and performance qualities.

Where can the skills you have acquired in this job be used when making a career transition?

Leadership skills can be transferred into almost any other leadership role, for example if you were going into teaching you would have had a lot of experience of working with different people and breaking things down and taking order of a room. The customer care skills that you have to have for this job are also easily transferable into retail jobs, when networking and also in jobs where you may have to meet clients etc. The confidence you gain on stage also enables you to be able to speak to a large room and speak confidently. I think being a head dancer gives you a very thick skin as well so I believe most head dancers will have developed a strong work ethic and can cope with a lot of high pressure.

An emotional intelligent leader primes good feeling in those they lead, how do you think this type of leadership could help/hinder a head dancer?

I think as a head dancer you need to be aware of your teams emotional needs, some team members are better at taking criticism than others and its important to work out who needs what from you. I think also being approachable so that your team can speak to you about any issues they have whether it be personal or work related is important as its beneficial for you and the team to ensure everyone is motivated and happy in their job role.

Is it important as a head dancer to adapt to the 'situational leadership' style whereby you fit your style to the needs of the individual and to the situation at hand?

I think this is really important, you need to make sure you can get on to everyones 'wave length' and where they are at with their own progress. You can actually hinder a persons performance and confidence if you try to push them too hard or if they are not pushed enough. I always discuss targets with my team members and ensure they are happy with what I set them.

Discuss this statement 'To be a head dancer you need to be an exceptional dancer as well'.

I wouldnt say you have to be an 'exceptional' dancer but you need to have an understanding of dance and also set a good standard for your team to work towards. I think above all you need to a confident leader and be able to have an understanding of each person on your team otherwise whether or not your a fantastic dancer you wont be able to get your team to a high standard which is what the head dancer is for.