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BlakDance launches its impact survey

BlakDance has recently launched an impact survey to gather feedback from its stakeholders. The aim is to build an evidence base that both BlakDance, and its stakeholders, can rely on for planning and advocacy work now and into the future.

What is the impact of BlakDance, and what should it prioritise in 2020 and beyond?

Patternmakers is working with BlakDance to seek feedback on its work, and gather input from stakeholders to inform its new strategic plan.

We’ve recently launched an impact survey to gather feedback from BlakDance stakeholders.

The aim is to build an evidence base that both BlakDance, and the First Nations dance sector, can rely on for planning and advocacy work now and into the future.

Take the survey now!

In the survey, stakeholders will be asked questions about their past activities and experiences with BlakDance and the assistance they’ve received. They will also be invited to share their ideas for the future of BlakDance.

Why is this important?

This survey is part of a larger project aiming to catch and keep stories about First Nations Dance over the next three years.

Since the National Indigenous Dance Forum in 2017, BlakDance have been working with arts evaluation specialists Patternmakers on more effective and proactive ways to gather feedback from stakeholders.

The organisation has collaborated on development of a ‘program logic’ and an evaluation framework to help streamline what data is collected, from whom, how often.

Why a survey?

Patternmakers has been conducting a range of interviews and workshops with BlakDance and key stakeholders. These have been informative and helped the evaluators to build a picture of the organisation’s work.

The time is now right for a survey to help to measure and prioritise stakeholder views. Although surveys don’t work for everyone, many stakeholders are already accustomed to completing surveys about other issues, and so BlakDance will test the use of surveys with its stakeholders this year.

Tandi Palmer Williams, Managing Director at Patternmakers says, ‘Instead of sending surveys after every event and interaction, we have agreed to survey stakeholders once in 2019. This data can be used for multiple purposes, including to inform the development of a new strategic plan for the organisation’.

Merindah Donnelly says, ‘At BlakDance, remaining humble is core to our business and we value input to keep us accountable to our communities and sector.’

Image credit: BlakDance

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About the Author

Dr Catherine Davis
Senior Research Analyst

Catherine has a passion for data storytelling and the arts. She has particular expertise in mixed methods research design as well as community sector research experience.

 
 

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Advancing dance through research

In 2017 Dr Anja Ali-Haapala worked with Queensland Ballet to lead Ballet Moves for Adult Creative Health, a project to investigate recreational ballet classes for active older adults. We spoke to Anja about her experiences working on the project.

In 2017, Dr Anja Ali-Haapala worked with Queensland Ballet to lead Ballet Moves for Adult Creative Health, a project to investigate recreational ballet classes for active older adults.

The 10 month project was supported by Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative which supports innovation and collaboration in business, industry and research.

We spoke to Anja about her experiences working on the project.

How did the project come about?

The project was sparked by Queensland Ballet (QB) who have a growing portfolio of engagement activities with communities across Queensland. Part of this engagement work is their Ballet for Seniors program, which sits within the seniors stream of their weekly public dance classes. The company wanted to understand this practice further and look for ways to expand this offering to people who are not able to attend classes at their company’s home, the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End, Brisbane. 

What did the project involve?

There were two main components. Firstly, it was about undertaking empirical research to better understand dance practice. This meant investigating the motivations and wellbeing outcomes experienced by participants of the seniors ballet classes, as well as understanding which teaching approaches worked best for this type of dance class. Since QB already had their Ballet for Seniors classes running, it made sense to incorporate this particular program within action research cycles and to include teacher and class participant perspectives within the research design. 

The second component was the consideration of the potential business applications of the knowledge gained from the research project. As a state level arts organisation, QB looks to engage all of Queensland, so this component of the project sought to determine how QB might be able to provide access to Ballet for Seniors classes across the state. This involved mapping seniors ballet offerings in Australia and overseas, as well as considering various business models within the context of QB.    

What came out of it?

Recommendations for the two main components of the research we were undertaking. Firstly, for teaching practice. And secondly, for QB’s next steps for pursuing a farther-reaching seniors ballet program…which the company is already looking into!  

I am also really pleased that we were able to publish a report that outlines the participant motivation and wellbeing findings. Ballet had previously received very little attention from researchers interested in dance’s health and wellbeing outcomes, so the ability to identify and share these findings was an important contribution to the field of research and well as a useful document for industry. 

An unexpected outcome was the significant level of global media attention that the report received, and the consequential media it initiated. For a couple of months, the Ballet for Seniors program had news crews in almost every week to report on the program and research findings. As word spread, demand for the Ballet for Seniors tripled and additional classes are now offered on a regular basis. For me, it is very cool to see such tangible research impact so quickly.

What did you learn from the process?

It was a good challenge to move my academic research skills and methods into an industry environment. There is a lot to be gained from university-industry collaboration and exchange, however it does require time and care to bring these two models of operating together. 

I learned a lot about the business of ballet and the strategic thinking, conversations, and connections that support projects. As a result, I see a lot of potential for research thinking and approaches to be incorporated within everyday operations of arts organisations.  

The project sat within Advance Queensland’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership category, which required three partners. Firstly,­ an industry organisation: QB. Secondly, a knowledge partner: Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Partnering with QUT enabled me to work with Professor Gene Moyle of the Creative Industries Faculty and Professor Graham Kerr of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, both bringing a wealth of experience to the project. The third partner was a recent graduate of the knowledge partner (i.e., QUT): that would be me! 

As a recent doctoral graduate (2016) whose research is within the dance field, this was a very unusual and exciting opportunity to undertake a substantial research project so soon after graduation. Also worth noting was that my PhD focused upon dance audiences, so to shift into pedagogical and health research was a whole new domain for me! 

Any advice for others considering this kind of research partnership?

When reflecting upon the project retrospectively, a really important moment that became evident was the consideration regarding which elements of the research findings needed to be retained by the company for future business endeavours, and which elements could be shared with the broader community.

In academic contexts, sharing the complete set of research findings is the norm. This approach is paramount to the research field, as the more that is shared, the more a field of research can grow as researchers from across institutions and countries working on similar problems can learn from each other. Therefore, by sharing some of the QB project’s findings the results can inform and support other ballet practitioners and organisations working with older adults, particularly in providing support for advocacy for these types of programs. As mentioned earlier, the published findings have also led to tangible outcomes for QB, too.

To find out more about Ballet Moves for Adult Creative Health, please visit www.queenslandballet.com.au/learn/fitness-and-wellbeing/ballet-moves-for-adult-creative-health

 

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About the Author

Dr Anja Ali-Haapala
Audience Researcher / Dance Practitioner

Anja is an Audience Researcher and Dance Practitioner based in based in Brisbane, QLD. 

 
 

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