The Performing Arts project consists of several complementary components. The first step involved conducting a scoping review to synthesize the available empirical knowledge on experiences of interpersonal violence (IV), the factors associated with it, and its consequences in pre-professional performing arts education settings (i.e., dance, theater, music, and circus arts). The results of this scoping review helped document a wide range of experiences among artists in training and guided the development of the collaborative research project.
This collaborative project aims to conduct a needs assessment of the training requirements for educational staff working in Quebec institutions specializing in the performing arts (dance, music, theater, and circus arts). Developed in collaboration with the Association of Quebec Higher Arts Schools (ADÉSAQ), it pursues four specific objectives divided among two groups of respondents: artists in training and teaching staff:
- To document experiences of IV in institutions specializing in the performing arts, as well as the physical and psychological well-being of artists in training;
- To examine individual factors (e.g., attitudes, beliefs, past experiences of violence) and contextual factors (e.g., organizational pressure, social norms) associated with the use of IV by teaching staff;
- To deepen understanding of the experiences of sexual violence among artists in training and explore the training needs they perceive as necessary for educational staff;
- To deepen educational staff’s understanding of the factors associated with IV and explore their priority training needs.
Partners : ADÉSAQ, a nonprofit organization representing some thirty higher education institutions specializing in the arts, is the project’s main partner. Four institutions are also participating in the initiative: the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec, the National Theatre School of Canada, the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, and the École de cirque de Québec. These partners will collaborate on various stages of the project, including the development of data collection tools, the recruitment of participants, and the interpretation of results.
Researchers : Sylvie Parent, Gretchen Kerr, Deziray De Sousa, Sophie Wensel et Angélique Brun.
Start date : 2026