Dance Data Project

Dance Data Project®
Smuin Contemporary Ballet dancers Nicole Haskins, Susan Roemer, and Jane Rehm perform Helen Pickett’s Petal (2015).
Courtesy of Smuin Contemporary Ballet.
Photo by Chris Hardy.
Dance Data Project®
American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in Gemma Bond’s Interchangeable Text. Photo by Eric Baiano.
Courtesy of American Ballet Theatre.
Dance Data Project®
Scene from Broken Wings, Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Courtesy of English National Ballet
Photo by Laurent Liotardo
Dance Data Project®
Scene from Citizen, Choreography by Laurie Stallings
Courtesy of American Ballet Theatre
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor

Informing equity through data
analysis, advocacy and programming

Dance Data Project® is a global resource for the study and analysis of major national and international dance companies, venues, and choreographic awards. In addition, DDP surveys ballet competitions, festivals and scholarship programs worldwide. We provide a resource for those seeking information about female choreographers, set, costume & lighting designers, as well composers of classically based dance music.

We also cover recent news (as you’ll see below) and provide an archive of articles related to issues surrounding classical dance, including pay transparency and equity, hiring and and harassment policies. Browse, have a look, and feel free to provide feedback by contacting us on our contact page. Many thanks for visiting.

“This is not a pipeline issue. It is a failure of imagination by a field whose job is to imagine the way the world could be.”

– Rachel Chavkin, Tony award-winning director of “Hadestown”

About the Dance Data Project®

Find out about our organization, mission, our methods, and the results of our decades of advocacy.

Learn More

Research & Data

We encourage you to complete our
Self Report Survey, but also to send us updates,
let us know about special initiatives or call our attention
to areas for study or a company, artist, festival, competition
or venue we haven’t discovered yet.

Find Out How

Scene from Bonzi, Choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Courtesy of BalletX, photo by Alexander Iziliaev

DDP Announcements

Jul 23, 2019

Just Released: 2018-2019 Season Overview

The following is a report on the gender distribution of repertoire within the Top 50 domestic companies’ 2018-2019 seasons. The data is separated into three subsections: Gender Distribution in Seasonal Repertoire, World Premieres, and Comparison of 2018-2019 Seasons to 2019-2020 Seasons. DDP cites sources and expresses limitations at the end of the report.

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s "NEW VOICES: Choreography and Process for Young Women in Dance"

DDP Founder and President Liza Yntema interviews the team behind Pacific Northwest Ballet's New Voices: Choreography and Process for Young Women in Dance.

Full Interview

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa rehearses Requiem for a Rose (2016) with Smuin Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Chris Hardy, courtesy of Smuin Contemporary Ballet.

Meet the Choreographer: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Read Founder and President Liza Yntema's interview with choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa here!

Full Interview

Liza Yntema, Penny Saunders, and the cast of Testimony at Grand Rapids Ballet.

Meet the Choreographer: Penny Saunders

Our founder, Liza Yntema, recently sat down with Penny Saunders whose work she has supported through Hubbard Street Dance Company. Saunders is the choreographer-in residence at Grand Rapids Ballet and receives support from New York City Ballet Choreographic Commissions Initiative.

Full Interview

Resources

Women Who
Inspire Us

We are always looking for new women
leaders in dance to feature on our site. You can
see a list of some of the women who stand out to us
on our Research page.

Learn More

Our Book/Film List

Educate yourself on the dance world, past and present, with some of our favorite novels and films in the dance genre.

Learn More

Scene from Rock-a-Bye, Choreography by Penny Saunders, Courtesy of BalletX—Photographer: Candice DeTore