Psychological Wellbeing and Grit Among Freelancers in the UK Dance Industry.

The UK dance industry is composed largely of freelance workers, yet freelancers are an under-researched population within the dance science literature. The aim of this study was to investigate psychological wellbeing and grit (a combination of passion and persistence) among freelancers working in various roles in the UK dance sector. A total of 282 freelancers completed validated questionnaires tapping psychological wellbeing and grit (the 18-item Psychological Wellbeing Scale and Short Grit Scale). Analyses revealed relatively high levels of wellbeing, with participants scoring particularly high on personal growth and purpose in life (15.73 and 14.11, respectively, out of a maximum of 18). They also had high levels of grit (3.90 ± 0.33 out of a maximum of 5). Freelancers who identified as being early career reported significantly higher levels of grit than the mid and late career groups. Significant positive correlations were found between grit and the wellbeing domains of personal growth, purpose in life, and positive relations. Overall, the results of this study support previous qualitative research suggesting that a freelance dance career may provide elements of psychological wellbeing, and that passion and persistence towards long-term goals could be essential in the pursuit of a freelance career.

Multidisciplinary predictors of adherence to contemporary dance training: findings from the UK Centres for Advanced Training.

Little is known about the predictors of adherence in a dance context. The aim of this study was to investigate adherence to a dance talent programme using a multidisciplinary set of variables representing psychological correlates of adherence, maturation and physical factors relating to dance talent. Psychological (passion, motivational climate perceptions, eating attitudes), physical competence (vertical jump height, handgrip strength, hamstring flexibility, external hip rotation, aerobic fitness), and maturation-related (age of menarche) variables were gathered from female students enrolled on a dance talent programme. Participation behaviour (adherence/dropout) was collected from the talent programme's records approximately two years later. Logistic regression analysis of 287 participants revealed that greater levels of harmonious passion predicted greater likelihood of adherence to the programme, and greater ego-involving motivational climate perceptions predicted less likelihood of adherence. Neither measures of physical competence nor maturation distinguished adhering from dropout participants. Overall, the results of this study indicate that psychological factors are more important than physical competence and maturation in the participation behaviour of young talented dancers.

A longitudinal examination of the relationship between perfectionism and motivational climate in dance.

The present study examined the relationship between dance-related perfectionism and perceptions of motivational climate in dance over time. In doing so, three possibilities were tested: (a) perfectionism affects perceptions of the motivational climate, (b) perceptions of the motivational climate affect perfectionism, and (c) the relationship is reciprocal. Two hundred seventy-one young dancers (M = 14.21 years old, SD = 1.96) from UK Centres for Advanced Training completed questionnaires twice, approximately 6 months apart. Cross-lagged analysis indicated that perfectionistic concerns led to increased perceptions of an ego-involving climate and decreased perceptions of a task-involving climate over time. In addition, perceptions of a task-involving climate led to increased perfectionistic strivings over time. The findings suggest that perfectionistic concerns may color perceptions of training/performing environments so that mistakes are deemed unacceptable and only superior performance is valued. They also suggest that perceptions of a task-involving climate in training/performing environments may encourage striving for excellence and perfection without promoting excessive concerns regarding their attainment.