The Body Capital: Precariat Contemporary Dancers' Meanings of Wellbeing in New York City
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Romanticized in popular culture since the late 18th century, the social concept of the starving artist and the Bohemian lifestyle in Western contexts remains polarized as a badge of honor, or foolish endeavor. Within the hierarchy of artists, dancers are widely acknowledged to be situated at the bottom in terms of economic and social capital. The 21st century model of neoliberal capitalism is further increasing the barrier to entry, cementing the performing arts as a profession only accessible to those situated in a privileged economic class. This thesis examines the wellbeing of economically precarious contemporary concert dance artists in New York City. The study draws upon a quantitative questionnaire and nine in-depth interviews with self-identified precariat dance artists, applying a constructivist methodology through a capitalist critical lens. It allows emerging-mid career New York City based dance artists to construct their personal meanings of wellbeing, and envisions an artistic world in which the market economy does not dictate access to and career sustainability within the field of dance. The narratives amongst the dancers demonstrates a collective need for conscious societal intervention divorced from profit, to sustain the lives of dance artists and ensure a rich and diverse artistic milieu of dancemakers and performers. Among the themes identified in the dancers’ visions of wellbeing are financial stability and predictability, the ability to rest and recover, access to healthcare both physical and mental, and a healthy work/life balance. Discussions of agency and the ability to advocate for oneself combined with the often fused identity of dancer and self, demonstrated across the board, the dedication to the artform beyond industry, and the willingness to make great sacrifices to remain in the dance world. This thesis contributes to the field of dance studies and the sociology of mental health through its critical examination of dance in industry, its impacts on dance artist wellbeing, leading to critical ramifications to the field of dance in terms of increased disparities amongst working artists, burnout, disposability, and loss of creative ingenuity and diverse perspectives within the field. It gives voice to artists typically marginalized and punished for discussing topics of economic concern and will contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding the effects of capitalism on artistic professions in which the full value of its contribution to society cannot be measured by capitalist profitability benchmarks.
Author: Prosa, Kimberly A
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7135271163