NOT-SO-HAPPY FEET
After more than a decade in the industry, dancer Jared Mifsud wonders why he’s still being asked to work for free. With this in mind, he has joined a team campaigning to improve the lot of professionals through a movement called Dancers Australia.
Most dancers will have stories from when they were kids about performing for free at their local Christmas carols or other community event. You did this because you were learning your craft.
Fast forward to 2020. We’re in the middle of a pandemic and our industry has been decimated. As a professional dancer with more than 10 years’ experience, I am approached and asked to dance for free at the AFL Grand Final, one of the largest sporting events in Australia. I’m sure you can imagine my response.
Dance is my life and has been since I was nine years old. It has taken me all over the world, from dancing on cruise ships and in theme parks in Japan to returning to Australia at the start of 2018 and making Meanjin (Brisbane) my home base once again.
Unfortunately, the story involving the AFL is not a one-off, and for this reason I have joined the team working alongside MEAA to form Dancers Australia. The aim of our campaign is to create a minimum wage and safe working conditions for all dancers so that such stories become a thing of the past.
Dancers are among the most passionate, hard-working people you will ever meet. From the outset, they are constantly having to prove themselves and hustle for the next job. So why is it that some individuals and companies think it’s okay to ask dancers to perform without pay?
Money isn’t the only issue we are trying to address; dancers are also some of the most poorly treated workers − from long rehearsal days to being expected to whip out highly skilled ‘tricks’ at the drop of a hat, little to no dressing-room space and concrete floors. This is just the start of a long list of poor working conditions that dancers deal with at gigs. When I decided to speak up about the number of unpaid rehearsals that were being asked of me and my cast for a show last year, the response from the choreographer was to “suck it up” and “that’s just what you do”.
There needs to be a huge shift in the culture and education around dance, which is why what we are trying to achieve at Dancers Australia is so important. We have created an in-depth survey that we are asking dancers all around the country to fill in and share their stories. So far, we have discovered that 73 per cent of dancers are earning $30,000 or less a year, despite 83 per cent of us having a Cert 4 or higher in our training − that’s $577 a week (before tax), with no sick leave, no super and no penalty rates. But Bob from Bob’s Caryard said the exposure from the official opening will be great (insert eye roll). It’s time for dancers to take back what is rightfully ours and come together as a community, because there is power in a unified voice.
Dance is not a hobby — it takes years of dedication and hard work to make it in this career. It’s a beautiful art form that adds so much to our industry and is constantly sought after, so it’s time to reflect that worth in a monetary form, just as we would expect from any other job.
If you are a dancer − or know any − please send them to bit.ly/dancersurvey to share their stories. It’s time to make our voices heard! #paythedancers
Jared Mifsud has been a professional dancer for more than 10 years. His career includes musical theatre, Princess Cruises, Universal Studios Japan and a six-month stint studying at the world-renowned Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Since returning to Australia in 2018, Jared has fully immersed himself in the Brisbane performing arts scene. He has featured in BOY&GIRL and Brisbane Festival with Oscar Production Company, and Yank! (Woodward Productions) and is on the dance team for Creative Generation − State Schools Onstage.
Dancers Australia — the new national committee made up of dance professionals from across the country — is currently running the National Professional Dance Survey, which has so far found dancers are chronically underpaid for the level of work and training they do, and face a wide range of safety issues in the gig-based economy. Follow Dancers Australia on Facebook and Insta for the latest campaign news.
