DDP in the News
"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery
DDP Founder & President Liza Yntema featured in The Indispensables podcast: Bringing gender equity to the world of dance
DDP Founder & President Liza Yntema featured in The Indispensables podcast: Bringing gender equity to the world of dance
In this episode, Liza Yntema and Bruce Tulgan discuss how Dance Data Project® is moving the stodgy, conservative global industry of ballet with a tiny team of dedicated part-timers and volunteers, by staying flexible and listening actively.
To listen to the podcast, click here.
About The Indispensables
Based on Bruce Tulgan’s new book, The Art of Being Indispensable at Work, The Indispensables is a podcast series about how real people, in the real world, become indispensable, go-to people who stand the test of time at work. Featuring conversations with go-to people from organizations of all shapes and sizes, in every industry, Bruce Tulgan drills down into the specifics of what these people do differently to stand out in their jobs and careers. There will be no fads or quick-fix solutions here. This podcast is all about actionable advice that really works. — Bruce Tulgan is the CEO of RainmakerThinking, the management research, consulting and training firm he founded in 1993. All of his work is based on 27 years of intensive workplace interviews and has been featured in thousands of news stories around the world.
DDP Cited in Research Article — “Sex Roles and the Erasure of Women from Conversations About Gender Oppression: The Case of #BoysDanceToo”
23 July 2021
By Canton Winer
Abstract
In 2019, the #BoysDanceToo movement reacted in anger to controversial, misogynistic remarks made on Good Morning America. These reactions highlighted the challenges faced by men and boys in dance. Yet, previous studies have documented significant advantages for men in dance. In an analysis of the discourse used in online posts related to the #BoysDanceToo movement, I find that these broader structural gender inequalities are generally not examined. Responses also do not interrogate the antifemininity that fuels the stigma against boys and men who dance. Analysis suggests that this is due to an overreliance on the language of sex roles—which can mask the oppression of women (as a group) by men (as a group)—and the neglect of a relational understanding of gender. As a result, women are largely erased from a conversation about gender oppression.
Excerpt
“It is also worth noting that despite the prejudices men who dance often face, they
also hold many advantages, including less competition for professional jobs and
disproportionately holding powerful and prestigious positions as artistic directors
and choreographers (Chin 2021; Fisher 2007; Larson 2017). Certainly, some of this
‘advantage’ stems from the stigmatization and bullying of boys and men in dance
(Risner 2014), which produces a scarcity of men dancers and decreased competition
(Risner 2009a). Nonetheless, scholars have also long noted ‘patriarchal underpinnings’
in dance that center the male gaze and subordinate women dancers to
men (Daly 1987; Foster 2004). These longstanding issues remain relevant. For
example, a report on the 50 largest ballet companies in the U.S. found that 79%
of works in the 2019–2020 seasons were choreographed by men, and 62% of programs
in the 2019–2020 seasons featured work choreographed exclusively by men
(Dance Data Project 2019). Moreover, ballet choreographers who are women have
historically been marginalized and treated as second-rate by dance critics (Harris
2012). This suggests that dance, like other ‘feminine’ professions, has hidden
advantages for men (particularly at its higher rungs) despite the stigma these men
often face, particularly from outside the profession (Williams 1992). Especially
because this #BoysDanceToo incident arose in the wake of the #MeToo movement,
it is worth examining whether the resulting discourse acknowledged relational disparities
in dance that advantage men and disadvantage women—even as these disparities
reflect difficulties for men as well.”
Read the full article here.
Broadway World Chicago: Auditorium Theatre Announces Partnership With Dance Data Project
Dance Data Project, in partnership with the Auditorium Theatre, announced the upcoming release of Global Conversations: Behind the Stage, the fifth round in a series of virtual interviews. Round 5 will highlight those professionals who work behind the scenes and out of sight, creating artistic magic in every production, while coping with disasters on a regular basis. This Round features 11 conversations with a roster of renowned women in their respective fields, from stage managers and lighting designers to fight choreographers and filmmakers.
To read the full article by Chloe Rabinowitz for Broadway World, click here.
Dance Magazine: Dance Data Project®’s Latest Report Includes Some Stunning Numbers
In a feature on Dance Data Project® and our Artistic and Executive Leadership Report detailing the gender distribution among directors at the largest 100 ballet companies, Dance Magazine’s Jennifer Stahl highlights a key finding in our annual research. Peter Martins, having resigned from New York City Ballet in January of 2018 amidst accusations of sexual harassment and physical and verbal abuse, still has the largest compensation of any artistic director studied– even after his retirement.
To read the full article by Jennifer Stahl for Dance Magazine, click here.
