DANCE DATA PROJECT® ANNOUNCES EXPANDED YEAR 2 OF RAISING THE BARRE, FREE CURRICULUM FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF DANCE LEADERSHIP

Northfield, IL | September 27, 2023 | Today, Dance Data Project® (DDP) announces the second season of Raising the Barre: Curriculum for the Next Generation of Leadership in Dance. This free, online leadership curriculum offers creative solutions to properly equip dance leaders of the future with vital skills to strengthen their careers. It is not only for artistic or executive director candidates, but also choreographers, presenters, those who are thinking about starting their own companies, as well as boards of directors.

The first season of Raising the Barre gained nearly 7,000 views across social media platforms. This past January, Raising the Barre was featured in Dance Magazine.

“Raising the Barre is revolutionary – by offering invaluable tools to achieve leadership success at any stage in an artist’s career, without paywall, we are actively working to combat the inequity our research continues to demonstrate,” said DDP Founder & President Elizabeth ‘Liza’ Yntema. “While we continue to push for opportunities for women to rise to leadership positions, let’s help them build a robust toolkit to prosper in any professional setting, dance or otherwise.”

DDP has implemented feedback received from candidates, search firms, boards, and others in the dance economy to develop a second season that builds on the successes of the first. This input has encouraged DDP to open the aperture of the equity lens to include the role of boards of directors in searches. DDP will also offer advice and support for the administrative needs of smaller companies, without requiring an (often unavailable) infusion of funding.

“The importance of providing these interviews and deliverables free-of-charge cannot be overstated,” said DDP Communications Lead Isabelle Ramey. “As a part of DDP’s commitment to democratizing access to career-changing opportunities and the resources required to thrive in them, we are eager to remove as many barriers to viewership as we possibly can.”

A partial preview of this year’s Raising the Barre faculty members can be found below*:

• Geoff Chang, Vice President of Arts Consulting Group
  • Topic: Creating a More Diverse Board-Directed Leadership Search
• Anne Kavanagh, Partner and Senior Media Advisor of Media Pros
  • Topic: The Importance of Media Training
• Shane Jewell, Executive Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre
  • Topic: How an Open Door Policy Fosters an Effective Work Culture
• Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
  • Topic: Rescue, Recovery & Re-Birth – Reimagining a Company

*Spring 2024 faculty members and curriculum will be announced later this fall.

Annual DDP research shows the persistent inequities in dance leadership, with women representing only 30% of Artistic Directors of the Largest 50 U.S. ballet companies (Artistic and Executive Leadership Report 2022). Raising the Barre will serve to expand the skill sets of capable future leaders and further remove barriers women face in achieving leadership positions.

Episode 1 with Geoff Chang will be available soon, accessible on the DDP website and YouTube. Learn more about Raising the Barre and view Season One on the DDP website.