ILPC 2027

This is a PhD research project which explores how individuals become nightclub dancers. ‘Nightclub dancer’ is an umbrella term which is used to refer to all types of dancers that are paid to provide entertainment in nightclubs. The majority of these are ‘freestyle’ podium dancers, but pole performers and those who dance as part of a troupe of choreographed dancers are also included in this study. Despite the prevalence of such dancers in UK nightclubs, they are a previously under-researched group. The PhD is currently in the ‘writing-up’ stage (at the time of the International Labour Process Conference 2011). The main research question addressed by the project is: how do individuals learn to become professional nightclub dancers? This includes how individuals are selected and recruited into nightclub dancing, what their pre-job learning and socialisation experiences are and how new and inexperienced nightclub dancers learn to become professional and successful in their occupation. The research design can be summarised as qualitative and includes analysis of events entertainment agencies that supply dancers to nightclubs, as well as some participation in pole dance lessons and observation of dancers in nightclubs. However, the research questions are addressed mainly through the analysis of data from 25 semi-structured interviews conducted with male and female nightclub dancers (n=16), dance teachers, nightclub managers and managers of events entertainment/talent agencies. From this data it emerged that nightclub dancers have to learn to perform various types of corporeal labour in order to be successful in their occupation. In the nightclub industry, which - as one manager put it - is ‘designed to sell sex,’ dancers not only have to put hours of effort into maintaining a generally well-groomed bodily appearance; they also have to create the impression to their audience that they are enjoying themselves. Successful nightclub dancers accomplish this at the same time as putting together dance moves into a largely improvised performance in time to changing music. This presentation therefore focuses on the sexualised, aesthetic and emotional labour of nightclub dancers; all of which can be viewed as highly embodied types of labour. It will also show the impact of gender on dancers’ experience of this labour. For example; how it is generally seen as more important for female dancers to be attractive and play the role of ‘eye candy’ than it is for male dancers (unless they are dancing on the ‘gay scene’). Hence, this discussion in particular contributes further knowledge to the literature on the body and sexualised, aesthetic and emotional labour. The overall PhD thesis, in addition to this, provides a unique lens through which to investigate and further our understanding of workplace learning and learning in general.