An investigation into the career transition experiences of recently graduated dance students. / Lucy Walliker (2020)

Dance graduates face an inevitable transition from education into professional work. Transition models and previous research highlight that this is a potentially difficult experience. The nature of dance artists’ careers within the arts industry, means that uncertainty is a common feature of the transition due to the lack of a defined career path. Transition and developmental models highlight the importance of support in influencing smoother transitions and the potential impact of identity. Previous research in sport and dance similarly reports the need for support, specifically career preparation and guidance, and the potential issues that could arise due to the loss or change of identity.

The focus of this investigation was to explore the experiences of dance graduates from UK courses; their view of the study to employment transition they experienced, and the role of support and identity within the transition. Eight female dance graduates were recruited, and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to examine the responses of each participants’ interview allowing for in-depth analysis to gain a greater understanding of their experiences.

The IPA analysis highlighted that support was a decisive influence on the state of transition experienced by the participants. Support consisted of community and networks, and the support provided by training institutions. Career guidance and preparation, along with continued communication with the institution post-graduation were reported as the most important forms of support in promoting smooth transitions. Identity development was shown to be influential due to the potential rigidity of views and perspectives held by participants or perpetuated by the training environment. The results showed all dance graduates should have career guidance and preparation, along with further support, training institutions should promote career exploration and advocate open dance career identities.