February 8, 2021 | Northfield, IL | Dance Data Project® (DDP) today announces the Data Byte: Top 50 Affiliate Ballet Schools 2020, a mini-report focusing on the gender distribution in leadership among the ballet schools connected to the Top 50 U.S. ballet companies. The mini-report looks at the 45 out of 46 schools affiliated with the Top 50 companies who made faculty information publicly available on their websites.

While the data suggest that women make up the majority of faculty at all levels, it is notable that based on statistical analysis, there is a lower percentage of men in non-titled positions out of all male employees than females (78% Men to 85% Women). There is also a higher percentage of men in non-leadership titled positions out of all male employees v. women (16% Men to 9% Women). While women have greater employment overall, they are disproportionately hired into untitled positions when compared to men.

“This initial inquiry into ballet school leadership at the largest 50 companies (46 affiliated schools) is just the beginning of more in-depth research on dance schools nation-wide,” said DDP Founder and President Liza Yntema. “Not surprisingly, as it is often the case in ballet, we found a “glass escalator” carrying men to the top of a female-dominated field, while women remain in less secure, gig work positions.”

The Data Byte: Top 50 Affiliate Ballet Schools 2020 can be found on DDP’s website with information and graphic displays found on Instagram and Twitter. “My biggest takeaway in doing this research was recognizing the similarities between ballet schools and K-12 education,” said DDP Special Projects Consultant Ellen FitzGerald. “Women make up the overwhelming majority of company ballet school faculty, they are disproportionately hired into non-titled positions when compared to men. This mirrors leadership trajectories in the K-12 space where 72% of all educators are women, yet they make up just 14% of superintendents across the nation’s school districts.” Source: AASA

DDP will produce an additional, expanded examination of unaffiliated ballet schools in the near future. DDP will release its annual Artistic and Executive Leadership Report in honor of Equal Pay Day in March and will continue to update the 2020-2021 Season Status Updates resource as well as the COVID-19 resources available online. More information and details regarding festival statuses is available upon request.