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Getting To “The Pointe”: Assessing the Light and Dark Dimensions of Leadership attributes in Ballet Culture

Whitely, Ashley Lauren
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1493216425118529

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development.
The focus of this ethnographic study is to examine the industry-wide culture of the American ballet. Two additional research questions guided the investigation: what attributes, and their light and dark dimensions, are valued among individuals selected for leadership roles within the culture, and how does the ballet industry nurture these attributes? An understanding of the culture was garnered through observations and interviews conducted in three classically-based professional ballet companies in the United States: one located in the Rocky Mountain region, one in the Midwestern region, and one in the Pacific Northwest region. Data analysis brought forth cultural and leadership themes revealing an industry consumed by “the ideal” to the point that members are willing to make sacrifices, both at the individual and organizational levels, for the pursuit of beauty. The ballet culture was found to expect its leaders to manifest the light dimensions of attributes valued by the culture, because these individuals are elevated to the extent that they “become the culture,” but they also allow these individuals to simultaneously exemplify the dark dimensions of these attributes. Tables providing examples of how both the light and dark dimensions of leadership attributes manifest in the ballet industry are presented.
Gail F. Latta, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
231 p.
Dance; Organizational Behavior
Leadership; Organizational Culture; Ballet Industry; Ethnography, Light and Dark Dimensions

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Whitely, A. L. (2017). Getting To “The Pointe”: Assessing the Light and Dark Dimensions of Leadership attributes in Ballet Culture [Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1493216425118529

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Whitely, Ashley. Getting To “The Pointe”: Assessing the Light and Dark Dimensions of Leadership attributes in Ballet Culture. 2017. Xavier University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1493216425118529.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Whitely, Ashley. "Getting To “The Pointe”: Assessing the Light and Dark Dimensions of Leadership attributes in Ballet Culture." Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1493216425118529

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Xavier University Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development and OhioLINK.