Defying social gravity

Abstract

Throughout my fieldwork, I conversed with a wide range of informants in order to get a holistic understanding of the perceptions of Maltese classical ballet. However, in order to get to the core of ballet culture in Malta, I started off by interviewing prominent principals who have been involved in the ballet scene for a long time. The interviews, which are formal and structured, revolved around the standard of ballet in Malta and why the schools were systemized in such a way. They also dealt with the transformation of ballet schools in the present vis-à-vis the past. Fortunately, the more I grew to know the answers, the more specific my questions became, thus the flow of interviews went from a general discussion to the steering for particular information. (Pelto & Pelto 1978:155). Therefore, as time passed I developed ‘a repertoire of question-asking strategies.’ (Agar 1980:140). Eventually, I also began to narrow down my focus towards social status, status symbols and symbolic space.