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Lecture: Dancer and Athlete Career and Life Transitions - A pioneering collaborative venture (Michael Du Maresq, Amanda Hancox)Career and life transition paths for professional dancers and high performance athletes share strikingly similar cultures, issues and challenges. In 2014 an innovative collaborative project brought leaders together from Canadian dance and sport sectors to explore career and life transition issues specific to their unique communities. This pioneering project enabled these communities to share knowledge, best practices and networks and provide a platform for dialogue and future strategic partnerships. Both sectors recognize that preparation for career transition and career development are healthy, holistic approaches to a dancer and athlete’s career.
Our presentation will reveal research conducted by the project and our project’s experiences from focus groups, consultations, a literature review and a major international conference presented by the project in 2016. It will also share emerging national and international trends in career development practices and career transition programs and services for these populations. Topics will include mental health, identity, loss of community, adaptive and maladaptive transitions and transferable skills. It will also discuss and explore the tangible benefits of cross-sector collaboration. |
Amanda Hancox |
Over her 30 year performance career Amanda Hancox worked extensively across Canada as a dancer and actress in theatre, film, and television. She has been Executive Director of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre (DTRC) since 2006. The DTRC is a national, charitable organization with a mandate to help dancers make necessary transitions into, within, and from professional performing careers.
Throughout her tenure with the DTRC, Amanda has contributed her expertise to a number of international and national conferences. Additionally she acts as a career transition consultant within and outside the arts community. Amanda is Co-leader of the LEAP Project (Leading Edge After Performance), a collaborative exploration into the shared transition issues of professional dancers and elite athletes. She is an Executive member of International Organization for the Transition of Professional Dancers (IOTPD), former Chair of the Dance Media Group, and a Board member of WorkInCulture. |