Leadership Gender Balance in UK Dance Sector Report

The charity AWA DANCE in collaboration with Coventry University’s Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) embarked on a research project exploring leadership in the UK dance sector, concentrating on gender balance in artistic, executive and board positions. In this medium-scale research, we focused on nationally funded dance organisations across the UK for the years 2021-2022. A second stage of the research gathered lived experiences of women in the UK dance sector. 176 responses were collected across the country, allowing us to gather subjective perspectives and real cases of the experience of leadership of women in dance. This research was born out of a need to understand if the subjective experiences of women in dance was matching the reality of the sector. Our approach was first to analyse (some of) the organisations that operate in the sector with regular funding and, second, to capture the voices of women in dance to understand their perspectives and hear their stories

Prevalence of alcohol-related attendance at an inner-city emergency department and its impact: a dual prospective and retrospective cohort study

Background: Alcohol-related hospital attendances at Emergency Departments (ED) are a potentially avoidable burden on National Health Services (NHS) resources. Understanding the number and type of patients attending EDs with alcohol intoxication is important in estimating the workload and cost implications. We used best practice from previous studies to establish the prevalence of adult alcohol-related ED attendances and estimate the costs of clinical management and subsequent health service use. Methods: The setting was a large inner-city ED in northeast England, United Kingdom. Data were collected via (i) retrospective review of hospital records for all ED attendances for four pre-specified weeks in 2010/11 to identify alcohol-related cases along with 12 months follow-up of the care episode, and (ii) prospective 24/7 assessment via breath alcohol concentration testing of patients presenting to ED in the corresponding weeks in 2012/13. Results: The prevalence rates of alcohol-related attendances were 12% and 15% for the retrospective and prospective cohorts. Prospectively, the rates ranged widely from 4% to 60% during the week, rising to over 70% at weekends. Younger males attending in the early morning hours at weekends made up the largest proportion of alcohol-related attendances. The mean cost per attendance was £249 (SD £1,064); the mean total cost for those admitted was £851 (SD £2,549). The most common reasons for attending were trauma-related injuries, followed by psychiatric problems. Conclusions: Alcohol-related attendances are a major and avoidable burden on emergency care. However, targeted interventions at weekends and early morning hours could capture the majority of cases and help prevent future re-attendance

Addressing ‘value’ concerns with advocacy research:Dance education in the UK

This chapter offers a critical examination of the concept of ‘value’ in relation to dance education in the United Kingdom during a period characterised by heightened uncertainty. Against the backdrop of governmental budgetary cuts, the seismic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the complex repercussions of Brexit, this writing explores evolving perceptions of dance education, linked to held values and necessitated advocacy. Drawing upon the personal experiences and reflections of a researcher who transitioned from dance teacher to academic investigator, this chapter engages in an exploration of debates that have developed within this shifting terrain. It draws upon unpublished writing by the author (2010; 2016) and updates it by drawing upon more recent academic discourse and the implications of global and national activity for dance research scholars. By navigating debates concerning the concept of value(s) and of advocacy in dance research, the chapter aims to assess the vulnerabilities of dance education research in the UK but also its capacity for resilience and innovation in the face of uncertainty. Ultimately, this chapter invites readers to contemplate the purpose and perceived value of dance education and research, in a context and time defined by flux and ambiguity

Corporeal lived experience of COVID-19: disability, dance and pandemic-triggered adaption

In March 2020 the world was plunged in to a new ‘normal’ when the Covid-19 pandemic triggered lockdowns across the world. With this came a radical change in working practices, including remote working from home and the closure of all performance venues, universities and rehearsal spaces. Many disabled artists and researchers advocated for using these new, imposed working practices as a catalyst for change, considering how ways of working, interacting and communicating could be more inclusive and prioritise accessibility. But with this comes consideration of how bodies negotiate new dance spaces, both digital and physical. This paper will consider the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and remote working, evaluating what can be learned from the lived experience of disabled dance artists in examining bodily informed ambitions for increased inclusivity and accessibility. Negotiating home spaces which became performance and teaching venues, blurring the public and the private for many dance artists, heightened our awareness of bodily navigation through space. Drawing on research emerging from interviews with disabled dance artists in the UK, necessitated adaption and adaptive skills will be explored. This paper will argue that disabled dance artists’ corporeal lived experience offers vital insight into how inclusive ways of working could better transform the experience of dance participation for all, as assumed ‘normality’ returns post-lockdown