Professional Artefact

After finishing and handing in, I am so proud and happy of how my artefact has turned out!

My professional artefact is a 10-minute audiovisual documentary, consisting of the audio recordings and filming of my experience as a professional dancer with Vienna Festival Ballet. It is designed for an audience of young and up-and-coming professional ballet dancers. This is the stage where we find our feet in the dance world; see where we fit in, what works for us and what doesn't. It is our time to really grow as artists and see how much we can push ourselves, where the limits are, and how to deal with the pressures. This audiovisual pulls from dancers' own personal experiences and opinions on how tough it is and how they cope. The module 3 handbook mentions that the artefact can be a product shown to potential employers of its purpose. If directors were more aware too, this could be beneficial for both dancers, directors regarding support and communication, where a lack of these attributes can create adversities to be trickier to overcome.




The idea/intention of the video is what actually gave me the drive and inspiration to start the investigation of looking into emotions in dancers; the audience only sees the glamorous part of ballet, the perfection and effortlessness the dancer has to portray. But they never see what hard work really goes into trying to always reach this image they have to express on stage. Although it is regarded as a work in progress, I have created the documentary to be as raw as possible, capturing the pure essence of a ballet dancer's feelings. I have always filmed from behind or from the sides to give the feeling of it being through the dancer's eyes- from a dancer's perception.

I compiled all the best bits of the recorded interviews, connecting them to show the development of the dancers opinions and/or gathered information; the dancers' thoughts on emotional health in the industry, their expectations they have to live up to regarding how they look, dance and act which can promote frustration, lack of confidence and self doubt when they can't always be perfect. The challenges they face, including injuries, the fear of not dancing and expressing themselves, not being able to provide their basic needs. What helps them to stay strong and positive is social support, healthy competition for inspiration, knowing what to control and being self-accepting in a situation out of their control.



I aim to have provided a product that guides young dancers, and to create an awareness of the topic. Just being reminded of the importance of emotional resiliency can make one more mindful of how to control their emotions.

However they felt that it is all still worth sticking to. Enjoyment and positivity are key ingredients to maintaining emotional resiliency, and this is what dance provides them. They expressed that it is too hard otherwise to go through it all and live the life of a ballet dancer. It is their way of challenging and expressing themselves, channeling all that energy from all those emotions into movement. It is like an escape, providing a sensation that the real world cannot offer. Proving that the dancers who do stick to this career, no matter how tough, are built thicker skinned