Isabelle has completed an MA in Arts and Cultural Management at Leuphana University, Germany. Her thesis, Freelance Dancers in the UK: Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing Through Comparative Analysis with Germany and the Netherlands, was supervised by Dr Hoe Su-Fern with Dr Patrick S. Föhl as second supervisor.

The research draws on fourteen stakeholder interviews with institutional leaders (including Rambert School, Royal Ballet School, Palucca University and Codarts) and sector-level representatives (Arts Council England, One Dance UK, BAPAM, Tanzbüro Berlin and Dachverband Tanz Deutschland), alongside a cross-national survey of 87 dancers.

The thesis argues that the mental health challenges facing freelance dancers are structural in origin. Statutory social insurance frameworks and sector-wide codes of conduct do not automatically translate into improved outcomes for freelance dancers. Effective change requires coordinated action across policymakers, training institutions, employers and dance organisations simultaneously.

Four themes emerged from the fieldwork: a structural gap between institutional wellbeing provision and the freelance sector; financial barriers as the primary obstacle to support; widespread lack of information about available resources; and the displacement of responsibility for wellbeing onto individual dancers. The most striking finding was the cross-national pattern on this last theme: 100 percent of UK freelance respondents, 100 percent of German freelance respondents and 95.5 percent of Dutch freelance respondents described responsibility for mental health as either largely left to individuals or not clearly defined.

The thesis sets out eight evidence-based recommendations for the UK across four implementation levels – policymakers, institutions, educators and sector bodies – with particular attention to dancers from underrepresented backgrounds. The primary recommendation is for a dance-specific code of practice embedded in public funding conditions.

Isabelle is developing the work with her supervisor Dr Hoe Su-Fern with a view to publication. The full thesis is available on request.

Thank you to everyone who took part.

Stay tuned for our upcoming ‘Dance on Camera’ interviews with leading makers in the Dance Film industry from all over the world including New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands, Serbia and Ukraine. Supported by AFK (NL).