West End shows 'failing' dancers
by Sally Bramley for The Stage

Blockbuster musicals have had a destructive effect on the long-term careers of West End dancers, says a forthcoming industry survey which challenges commercial producers to invest more in the future of their performers.

Due to be published at the end of this month, the West End Artists Report, commissioned by the Council for Dance Education and Training, interviewed performers and production staff from many of the most successful London shows in recent years, including Chicago, Mamma Mia!, The Phantom of the Opera and Kiss Me, Kate.

Author Helen Baggett has highlighted the problems of working in musical theatre, asserting that performers do not receive the opportunities for professional and personal development given to those in the independent, subsidised companies.

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It would be interesting to know how many West End directors came from dance backgrounds themselves. I'd guess that Broadway dancers benefitted greatly from having prominent directors who were dancers first, such as Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett and Joe Layton. (I know there are other more current dancer/directors, but I don't know their names.)