Contemporary dancing and the role of Art Schools in the careers of Dancers: A study of the artistic labor market in Greece.

Over the past years, cultural economists’ interest was attracted by the working lives of artists and the particularities and peculiarities of the artistic labor market, compared to the general labor market. Using these findings as an inspiration, this thesis focuses on the Greek artistic labor market and specifically on the labor market of Greek contemporary dancers. The Greek market appears to be an interesting study case, because of the complexity of its economy, which was hit by the financial crisis. The primary aim of the study is the exploration of the effect of dance schools on dancers’ careers and the investigation of the extent to which schools contribute to their success. For the purposes of this study, an extensive research is conducted, through the distribution of a structured questionnaire and the collection of quantitative data which are then statistically analyzed. The findings of the study suggest that schools affect significantly the artistic careers of contemporary dancers in Greece, by providing them with theoretical knowledge and practical skills, training on different techniques and opportunities of networking and professional rehabilitation. Schools achieve this by contributing to the formation of dancers’ mentality and discipline, and by helping dancers to find a job due to the school’s name and reputation. Regarding the nature of this effect, it differs within the different dance schools in which each dancer has studied and may be either positive or negative.