Our Research
Scene from Citizen, Choreography by Laurie Stallings
Courtesy of American Ballet Theatre
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor
We collect our information independently from public sources like company websites, dance publications, and Guidestar nonprofit reports. Fiscal data is derived solely from a company’s publicly-released IRS Form 990, annual reports, or financial audits. In 2020, DDP developed the Self-Report Survey, which offers companies the opportunity to submit information directly to our research team for more accurate, up-to-date findings.
Our Research
Dance Venues Leadership and Programing Report
Published on 2/04/2020
Dance Data Project®’s latest report, the first of 2020 and produced in collaboration with the Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership (EGAL) at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, examines 50 leading ballet performance venues in the United States to provide quantitative analysis of the organizations’ programing and leadership equity. Of note: venue leadership was found to be consistently equitable among venues of varying sizes (large, medium and small capacity), with approximately 45% of leadership positions held by women.
Global Resident Choreographer Survey
Published on: 1/20/20
DDP examined 69 U.S.-based and 47 international ballet companies for a total sample size of 116 companies. Thirty-seven of the 116 companies surveyed employ a resident choreographer. Of those, 76 percent have exclusively men in the position.
Spring/Summer Dance Festival Gender Equity Report
Published on: 9/24/19
The following is a report on the gender distribution of the leadership and programming of spring/summer dance festivals in 2019. The data is separated into three subsections: Leadership, Programming, and Festival v. Top 50 Company Comparison. DDP cites sources and expresses limitations at the end of the report.
2018-2019 Season Overview
Published on: 7/24/19
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.
© DDP 2019
Boards of Director & Trustees Analysis
Published on: 6/25/19
The following is a report on the gender distribution of leaders within the Top 50 domestic companies’ Boards of Directors and Boards of Trustees. The data is separated into two subsections: Chair Gender Distribution and Executive Committee Gender Distribution. DDP cites sources and expresses limitations at the end of the report.
© DDP 2019
“First Look” New Season Report
Published on: 5/29/19
The following is a report on the gender distribution of choreographers in the upcoming seasons of the fifty largest ballet companies in the United States that have been reported so far this year (38 out of 50 as of May 23, 2019). The data is separated into subsections, focusing on different aspects of the distribution of male and female choreographic work included in the upcoming seasons. DDP cites sources and discusses limitations and important disclaimers at the end of the report.
Global Listing Of Choreographic Fellowships, Scholarships & Competitions
Published on: 4/24/19
The Dance Data Project™ released its second report today, aimed at addressing gender inequities in the ballet world. DDP published a comprehensive listing of ballet choreographic scholarships, fellowships and competitions to simplify the application process for female artists seeking support for their work. The report provides critical information such as application deadlines, eligibility requirements, and compensation, which can include a stipend or other financial support, dancer provision, studio space, costuming, and other key resources. Although women are the economic drivers of ballet at every level, few career avenues exist for them in ballet beyond dancing or teaching.
© DDP 2019
Executive & Artistic Leadership Report
Published on: 2/19/19
The DDP research team collected and refined data from GuideStar, a privately-operated website that provides profiles for 1.8 million IRS-recognized tax-exempt organizations. DDP analyzed the average compensation for Executive and Artistic Directors of leading domestic ballet companies from 2015 through 2017, and distribution of gender from 2015 through 2018.
Called the Top 50 by DDP, these companies were those that had the largest expenses as of October 2018, according to their most recent Forms 990, which can be found on GuideStar profiles. In early February, DDP will be publishing the results of this recent research via a report released on our website.
The DDP research calendar (seen below), notes future report releases and details of their contents.
Highlights from 2019
Don’t have time to read our reports? Read DDP’s Highlights document to inform yourself on our most important findings from reports in 2019.
THE SEASONS BY NUMBERS |
2018-2019 |
2019-2020 |
| Total works: | 645 | 467 |
| Total by Men: | 520 | 369 |
| Total by Women: | 109 | 87 |
| % Works Choreographed by Men: | 81 | 79 |
| % Works Choreographed by Women: | 17 | 19 |
| % Programs Choreographed by Men Only: | 70 | 62 |
| % Programs Choreographed by Women Only: | 4 | 6 |
| % Programs Choreographed by Both: | 26 | 32 |
| % World Premieres Choreographed by Men: | 65 | 62 |
| % World Premieres Choreographed by Women: | 34 | 38 |
DANCE DATA PROJECT® RESEARCH RELEASE SCHEDULE
2019 Research Schedule
| Topic | Details | Time of Release |
|---|---|---|
| AD/ED Salary | Details the salary differential and gender distribution for male v. female Artistic and Executive Directors | Feb 2019 [completed] |
| Choreographic Initiatives & Fellowships Breakdown | Includes a coherent guide to initiatives for choreographers: will feature name of initiative/competition, application deadline, filing deadline, payment/benefits, and how to apply/parameters. | April 2019 [completed] |
| 2019/2020 Season First Look | Companies are announcing their upcoming seasons earlier than ever. DDP will review the announced 2019-2020 seasons, reviewing the percentage of female choreographers scheduled for main stage full evening and shorter pieces as well as black box and smaller stage productions. Where possible, we will also highlight the set, lighting, costume designer who are attached to productions. | May 2019 [completed] |
| Boards of Directors Breakdown | Lists percentage of male v. female board chairs (& possibly percentage amongst overall members) | June 2019 [completed] |
| 2018-2019 Season Overview | Details the distribution of male v. female choreographed pieces in seasonal repertoire (main stage v. blackbox setting & full length v. single-act) of top 50 domestic companies *future DDP reports will break down fall v. spring seasonal repertoire. | July 2019 [completed] |
| Spring/Summer Dance Festival Gender Equity Report | Examines the gender equity within the leadership and programming of spring/summer dance festivals and compares each with data from company seasons. | September 2019 [completed] |
| Dance Venue Leadership and Programming Report: A Qualitative Study | Details information pertaining to equity within major dance venues, including the gender distribution of Artistic and Executive Directors leading these performance spaces. | January 2020 |
Our Methodology
We collect our information independently from public sources like company websites, dance publications, and Guidestar nonprofit reports. Fiscal data is derived solely from Forms-990 or from company annual reports.
In some cases, companies will directly provide DDP with requested data.
Current Data
Originally founded as a project to research current and recent choreographic works, DDP grew into an organization with pending nonprofit status and a database housing over 2,300 records of choreographic work. The project has also expanded to house records of ballet festival repertoires and leadership, choreographic fellowships, ballet competitions, summer intensives, musical compositions that accompany dance works, production staff, boards of directors, and initiatives by companies to promote an equitable environment.
Our team is constantly engaged in data mining in these areas of study (and more), and we regularly publish reports of our findings (see above). Details and specific months of report release can be found in the statistical calendar seen below. The calendar is updated yearly – stay tuned for the 2020 research calendar.
While our database is confidential, our published findings give the community a snapshot of the data we are collecting, and our website is frequently updated with DDP announcements and ballet community news.
Academic Inspiration
Below, see several articles and studies that serve as inspiration and support for our own research and advocacy.
Published by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the following article, by four female academics, Vicki W. Kramer, Alison M. Konrad, Sumru Erkut, and Michele J. Hooper, details the benefits of including women on corporate boards of directors: Critical Mass on Corporate Boards: Why Three or More Women Enhance Governance.
Another by Professor Sumru Erkut, the following research was conducted to examine why there are so few women leading theaters in America: Women’s Leadership in Resident Theaters. The article brings to mind a recent headline in the Houston Chronicle, Houston theater companies are producing titles with more women and women of color. Important progress needs to be made to bring women to the helm of companies in both theater and dance.
Published in the New York Times, the following OpEd by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant discusses the inadmissible silencing of women when they attempt to give feedback, act as leaders, or voice opinion in many professional situations: Speaking While Female.
Currently undertaking a research project that looks beyond funding, Melanie Doerner seeks answers to deeper questions of sustainable business model for arts organizations. Doerner is a trained attorney, advocate for change, and proven arts leader with 16 years of nonprofit experience. She is currently studying the habits and business practices of arts organizations in an attempt to identify and understand the sustainable business model(s) for regional theatre and ballet companies.
The Harvard Business Review, similarly, published Professor Catherine Tinsley and Robin Ely’s insight on misinterpretations of differences between men and women and perceptions of both in the workplace: What Most People Get Wrong About Men and Women.
Also from Harvard, this time from the Law School, the special report Real Leaders Negotiate: Understanding the Difference between Leadership and Management breaks down gender differences in negotiation styles. Professors John Rizzo of Stony Brook University and Richard Zeckhauser of Harvard University asked a group of young physicians about their reference groups and salary aspirations and found that men often compare themselves to those of a reference group with higher salaries than the groups women to which women compare themselves. More of the study’s findings and comparable studies can be found here.
During the 2012-2013 season, Amy Seiwert and Joseph W. Copley highlighted the lack of female choreographic work featured amongst leading companies via a cross-reference of GuideStar fiscal profile data and public data available on company websites. Their work, published in a simple table (see image) led the Cincinnati Enquirer to publish the numbers. The disproportionate amount of male work that season shown in the study of 24 companies did not make national news, unfortunately, but serves as inspiration for what we research every day at DDP. See the study here: Study of choreography by women in companies with budgets over 5 million.
Commissioned by the Australian Council for the Arts, Associate Professor Elaine Lally and Professor Sarah Miller of the University of Wollongong in New South Wales published a report entitled Women in theatre: A research report and action plan for the Australian Council for the Arts. The professors’ work “gathers together quantitative and qualitative information on the continuing gender disparities, and attempts to identify structural barriers and potential levers for addressing entrenched inequalities.” Their study is available here.
By Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Marc Choueiti, Angel Choi, and Dr. Katherine Pieper, Inclusion in the Director’s Chair: Gender, Race and Age of Directors Across 1,200 Top Films from 2007 to 2018 reveals some remarkable metrics (as well as graphics that beautifully capture the team’s findings) related to diversity and inclusion in film. The team assessed the C-suites, boards of directors, and executive teams of samples across 300 of the highest-grossing films within their studied time-frame. Particularly interesting to DDP were the positions in which gender and diversity proportions fell “below the line” – that is to say those positions were largely filled by white men. Read the full study here.
DDP also supports the mission and methodology of the Center for Open Science. To that end we honor requests for the viewing of our database as well as specific research inquiries.
We strive to maintain the highest possible levels of accuracy. For that reason, in addition to utilizing publicly available documents (such as the IRS Form 990), internet searches and direct contact, we are also encouraging companies, festivals, venues, schools, competitions and all others we survey to complete our Self Report Form. This is intended to not only double-check our work, but also to be used as an avenue to communicate new initiatives and programs of interest to the world of classical dance.
Submit Your Organization’s Data
We need your help to build out our data set. Get in touch with us to help understand the issues and challenges in ballet. Be our partner in building a more equitable and transparent profession. For more information, follow the link below.
How to Access Our Data
Dance Data Project® houses the majority of our archival data on AirTable, a web database used by over 30,000 companies that permits realtime collaboration and easily-linked tables within a base.
Much like Excel, AirTable is built in cells of individual pieces of data. It is navigated via the eighteen tabs of categorical information DDP has organized. Our categories of data include everything from work titles of pieces of choreography, to the choreographers themselves, to over 130 companies (and counting), and even to the composers, lighting designers, and Boards of Directors working behind the scenes of festivals and companies.
While access to the archival database is private, we will share information from our research through our regular reports (detailed in the calendar) and by request from legitimate publications, companies, or other entities within our community. Report data is stored in Excel documents pertaining to each report.
Tell Us About Your Company/Project
Dance Data Project® is seeking individuals and organizations to submit information about how their companies, initiatives, programs, etc help promote female leadership in classical dance. Help us promote you! Send us your latest news, photos, videos featuring female artists and we’ll feature them on the site. We are also looking for guest writers on our blog, so if you would like to write a piece for us, let us know!
