Hybrid Dance Artists: A Counterstrategy against Precarity

Abstract

This thesis defends the following statement: In the current socio-economic environment of professional dance in the Netherlands, the hybridity of the professional practice of dance artists can be understood as an instrument for deprecarisation. Within this thesis the ontology and practice of hybridity is scrutinised and defined. Additionally, the precarious state of dance labour is analysed. The research methods at the core of this thesis consist of both literature review and ethnographic fieldwork. The ethnographic fieldwork consists of 12 interviews, four (informal) conversations, and a survey spread in the field of dance. The literature review draws on concepts and ideas of precarity and hybridity from the fields of dance studies, the arts, social studies, and zoological studies. Following thoughts on precarity by Annelies van Assche (2018) Bojana Kunst (2015a; 2015b; 2017), Dunja Njaradi (2014), Isabell Lorey (2015), and Susan Leigh Foster’s notion of ‘bodies for hire’ (1997, 255), the precarious position of dance labour is analysed. This precarious state originates from the profession’s both immaterial and highly physical character, as well as the lack of attention and support for the wide variety of skills, tasks and expertise dance artists need in order to sustain their practice. Following Camiel van Winkel, Pascal Gielen, and Koos Zwaan’s definition of a hybrid (visual) artist (2012), as well as definitions from the fields of zoology and sociology, the hybrid professional dance practice is defined. A hybrid dance practice fits the following three conditions: a) inherently different elements have merged and are equally present, b) binary distinctions are not perceivable, and c) the borders of the practice reach beyond the limits of one profession, context, or area. Following case studies, four types of hybridity are identified as contextual, artistic, skillset, or border hybridity. An outline of the disadvantages and advantages of hybridity shows that hybridity increases a practice’s resilience and sustainability, thus improving working conditions and allowing the artist to use a variety of skills within it. Following a discussion of Klaus Dörre’s idea of deprecarisation (2005) and Van Assche’s notion of ‘flexicurity’ (2017, 240), hybridity is introduced as a strategy that fosters the inclusion of different practices into one professional practice. Finally, three examples from the field, demonstrate hybridity’s ability to serve as a counterstrategy against precarity. This hybridity needs to be fostered by societal actors. Furthermore, the dance profession needs to be recognised for its far-reaching value within society.