Samuel Melecio-Zambrano, Emily Hansel, and Cora Cliburn at work in an outdoor rehearsal.
Cultivating Healthy, Equitable Workplaces for Dancers
By Emily Hansel
Two months ago, I wrote a piece that detailed many widespread injustices that dancers endure in the professional workforce and called for dancers’ employers to help end the cycle of abuse. After it was published, I received a ton of feedback. Feedback from dancers, who felt seen and were eager to share their similar, painful experiences. Feedback from dance teachers, who mentioned the important role educators can play in shaping norms across the field. And feedback from choreographers and directors interested in hearing more about how they can better their workplaces. In response to this feedback, I want to offer some tangible actions that choreographers can take to foster healthier, more equitable workplaces for dancers.
A lot of the most impactful things we can do—such as paying dancers more, hiring dancers as employees rather than independent contractors, providing dancers with training in mental health first aid, antiracism, and anti-harassment—require significant monetary commitment from the choreographer or hiring entity. These kinds of things can seem daunting to self-producing choreographers who aren’t flush with cash.
Similar to my experience as a working dancer, when I’m in the role of choreographer, I often feel stuck in a system that perpetuates social injustices and underappreciates artists. Choreographers, especially those who self-produce, often find our time and energy hijacked by administrative and managerial work outside of the actual creative process. We are required to justify the worth of our art and quantify its social impact in order to obtain the resources to make it. And it seems there’s never enough funding or support available for everyone who needs it. I am unnecessarily placed in competition with other artists, whose work is not inherently more or less valuable than my own.
In the world that I navigate (the realm of ballet and contemporary concert dance), there is a distinguishable, though not always linear, hierarchy. Starting from the top, it includes the government, funders, presenters, directors, choreographers, rehearsal directors, and finally, dancers. Those at the top have access to more money, decision-making power, and social capital than those lower on the ladder. For those not quite at the bottom, including anyone in a position where they hire dancers, there’s plenty we can do (or stop doing) to help protect and sustain our dancers.
Here are some relatively simple actions we can take that require a bit of thought and effort, rather than money:
➢ If you can’t pay more, make participation easier.
If you’ve decided to lead a project where you cannot pay your dancers at least a livable wage, there are other ways you can help make the rehearsal process easier for them. It might be easier for some dancers to participate if rehearsals aren’t a huge time commitment. Maybe you can hold rehearsals in a location that is more convenient for your dancers. And perhaps it’s ok for dancers to miss a certain amount of rehearsal time, since they probably need to prioritize other, higher paying jobs.
➢ Don’t charge dancers to audition for jobs.
Simple. Just don’t do it.
➢ Pay your dancers hourly.
If you pay your dancers a stipend rather than hourly, it may be because you know the maximum amount you can pay your dancers, but don’t have a concrete number of hours you might ask them to work. Maybe the rehearsal schedule is fluid and additional rehearsals could be added later but the pay will not increase.
This is problematic. If you don’t measure the amount of time your dancers contribute to the project, how can you even begin to start thinking about compensating them appropriately? Doing the math is important. You need to know how much (or how little) you’re paying, and your dancers do, too. If you’ve done the math, and the resulting hourly rate is so low it makes you uncomfortable, make goals to increase it.
Perhaps you pay a stipend rather than an hourly rate because you’re embarrassed by how small the amount would be if it were defined by an hourly rate. It sounds better to your dancers to say, “I can pay you $500 for this project,” rather than, “I can pay you $5/hour for 100 hours of work.” Make sure you’re not going the stipend route in order to make your job offers look more appealing than they are.
➢ Prioritize dancer pay and scale your project to your budget.
A common tendency for self-producing choreographers is to start budgeting for a project by setting aside money for the absolute costs, like the venue, venue staff, costumes, videographer, photographer, studio rentals, etc. All of these things come at set prices, as opposed to dancer pay, which is usually interpreted as flexible. If a choreographer is short on funds, the only place for them to save money is on the more flexible items, like dancers’ wages.
Alternatively, try accounting for dancer pay first, rather than last. If you’re choreographing a dance performance, it’s likely that the dancers are actually the most important piece of the puzzle.
After prioritizing dancer pay, scale the other project elements appropriately given the amount of funding you have available. Perhaps, in order to pay your dancers a decent rate, you can only afford three months of rehearsal with the dancers instead of six. Maybe you need to print your programs on regular copy paper instead of the thick, glossy stuff. Whatever you do, don’t pay tens of thousands of dollars for a venue and pay your dancers a stipend that comes out to $3/hour. If those extra rehearsal months or that venue feel absolutely essential to your project, then consider delaying the project until you secure the necessary funding.
➢ Be transparent about your budget with your dancers.
Budgets quantify your values and lay bare your priorities. Sharing your budget can demonstrate those values to your dancers.
If a dancer feels undervalued because they’re getting paid a low amount, it might help them to know that you’re keeping other production costs as low as possible in order to keep dancer pay as high as you can. Your budget can prove to them that they are a priority, even though their rate is low.
It’s also important for dancers to know how much everyone in the room is being paid in relation to each other. It can be reassuring for some dancers to learn that everyone in the cast is being paid the same rate. Alternatively, if there is a pay hierarchy or structure for raises in your company, all the dancers should be fully aware of this framework.
By the way, if there’s anything in your budget that you’re embarrassed about or that you don’t want to disclose to your dancers, that indicates that you need to make an earnest change. And that's fine! Carry out the necessary corrections first and then show your dancers the budget. Your budget should be something you can stand by and defend.
➢ Address pay in your first mention of the job.
Don’t ask a dancer if they’re interested in coming onboard for a project if you haven’t described one of the most important facets of the work: the compensation. Instead, work toward normalizing conversations about money. Pay rates are an important aspect of any job and a dancer needs this information to properly consider a job offer. It can be extremely difficult for dancers to ask about pay if that information is not initially provided. Simply mentioning the compensation in your initial offer can be a huge relief to dancers and it requires virtually no extra effort on your behalf.
➢ Sign letters of agreement.
Do not hire people without deciding upon clear terms of the work to be done. At the very least, a work agreement or contract should include how much money the dancer will be paid and when it will be paid to them. This may sound obvious, but unfortunately a significant number of dancers are hired without confirmation of these most basic terms.
A good contract is the result of a conversation between two parties (the dancer and the person/entity hiring them) about each of their needs. Emailing a dancer a template contract two days before rehearsals begin and demanding that they sign and return it in 48 hours is not okay. Leave room for some discussion and don’t be closed off to the idea that some changes may need to be made.
Contracts or letters of agreement should be discussed and signed before the work begins. The contract doesn’t necessarily need to list the exact schedule for the entire duration of the work period, as long as it states provisions for when and how the schedule will be determined, distributed, and amended.
➢ Don’t ask dancers to work for free.
Don’t ask professional dancers to dance for free. If you’re looking for dancers to volunteer for something, use that word, “volunteer.”
When you're paying dancers to work for you, don’t require them to do any kind of work that they aren’t being paid for. Perhaps you want your dancers to take a morning technique class before your afternoon rehearsal begins. But if you aren’t paying your dancers to take class, you cannot require them to do it. Don’t insinuate that they owe it to you to go to class. Don’t penalize them if they cannot afford to go to class because you’re not paying them to. Similarly, don’t imply that your dancers need to help with fundraising, marketing, or any other work without pay, especially if it was not included in your initial letter of agreement.
➢ Address the power dynamic inherent in any relationship where one person has hired the other.
A lot of choreographers are interested in making work with their dancers in a highly collaborative way. Many choreographers even refer to their dancers as equals in terms of decision-making power in the creative process. But there is a hierarchy inherent in any relationship where one person has hired the other.
Don't pretend everyone in the studio is on completely level ground or that the process will be 100% democratic. You can value democratic decision-making and still acknowledge that your dancer-choreographer dynamic is not one of two entirely equal peers. In an effort to steer clear of exploiting your dancers, reflect honestly and critically on the power dynamics at play in your collaboration before, during, and after your creative process. Talk to your dancers candidly about the power dynamics at play and discuss ways to maintain healthy relationships in the workplace. Talk about expectations for workplace conduct, including the dancers’ behavior as well as your own behavior. Put these intentions in writing and include them in the letters of agreement that you sign with your dancers at the beginning of the project.
Downplaying the power of the choreographer can be harmful and it can be even more critical when you’re hiring close friends. Engaging in simple formalities like signing a contract and discussing workplace expectations can be a powerful tool for avoiding miscommunication, resentment, and in more extreme circumstances, coercion, manipulation, and abuse.
➢ Treat your dancers with compassion.
If you value your dancers, show them as much by treating them with compassion. Don’t make them doubt how much you value them. Tell them you value their time, especially if you think they deserve higher pay than you’re currently able to offer. Acknowledge that you are not able to pay them as much as they are worth, and thank them for being there. Tell them that you value their individuality, and they are not just replaceable bodies.
Throughout their training and their careers, many dancers have been socialized to stay quiet and revere the person at the front of the studio. Many have faced low self-esteem, discrimination, mental health disorders, eating disorders, abuse, and/or sexual harassment. Choreographers, from their position at the front of the studio, have the power to affect dancers by reinforcing the opposites of the harmful messaging they’ve internalized.
No dancer is coming into your rehearsal as a neutral being. When I walk into a studio, I’m arriving after ten years of dance training and five years of professional experience during which time I was led to believe that my worth depends on how skinny I am, how open my hip sockets are, how arched my feet are, how much I “look the part,” and how willing I am to do absolutely anything that’s asked of me. I need my choreographers and directors to help me undo these things. As a choreographer, I want to help my dancers undo these damaging ideas by overcompensating with compassion. If you were treated terribly by your own elders decades ago, do your best to break that pattern and instead set a new example.
➢ Encourage dancers to speak and establish a culture of consent.
Many dancers have been conditioned to literally not use their voices in the studio, but choreographers have the opportunity to counteract this and establish a culture of consent. Encourage your dancers to speak their minds and ask questions. Tell them you value their perspectives—and mean it. Empower your dancers to say no—–and be prepared for them to say no. Know that everyone around you might have a different response than the response you expect from them. Strive for empathy and flexibility. Indicate that you are prepared to listen to your dancers and respond sincerely to their needs.
At the beginning of a new work period, build a community agreement collaboratively with the entire cast. Define consent as a group and discuss expectations for communication. Talk over when an in-person conversation might be better than email, and when a one-on-one talk is more appropriate than a group conversation. Discuss multiple different ways that people can express themselves if they ever feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or upset for any reason. Indicate the company’s point-person for harassment concerns as well as the point person for questions about pay schedule. Schedule regular check-ins with your cast that take place before or after rehearsals. Encourage your dancers to speak up when they’re uncomfortable, but also understand that speaking up in the moment might be really difficult for them to do.
Protect your dancers from abuse, discrimination, and sexual misconduct by having preventative policies in place and educate them about recourse.
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The above list is fairly straightforward and widely applicable, but every instance in which one person is hired by another comes with its own unique circumstances and requires individual assessment. Also, this list is not exhaustive. Paying dancers at least a livable wage is one of the most important things choreographers can do for their dancers. When choreographers hire dancers at less than a livable wage, we limit participation to those who have access to other wealth.
Like many things, the work of cultivating healthy, equitable workplaces for dancers is an ongoing process; not a checklist. Let’s check whatever boxes we can, and let’s also constantly reassess the way we run things.
For choreographers, it can be easy to feel like we’re not in positions of power. However, pretending we’re completely powerless is inaccurate and counterproductive. We have the ability to lift up and support the people we hire. And though choreographers may not be at the top of the dance field’s hierarchy, every single person in the field is responsible for making things better. Whether or not we’re aware of experiencing or causing any harm in the past, we can look toward the future with the goal of preventing harm and expanding equity and joy.
Thanks to Molly Rose-Williams and Jocelyn Reyes for their input on this piece.
Influences and recommended reading:
On publicly asking, “Who doesn’t pay?”
Decolonizing Wealth
DANConversations - Black History Month
Stop the Silence: It's Time to Confront Sexual Misconduct in Dance Education
Dancing While Black: 8 Pros on How Ballet Can Work Toward Racial Equity
We Need a Full Plan to Save the Arts in New York
Relearning Agency: A Dancer’s Call for Collective Action
Emily Hansel is a San Francisco-based dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, arts administrator, and dancer advocate.
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