Dance Data Project ®’s mission is to promote gender equity in the dance industry, including but not limited to ballet companies, by providing a metrics based analysis.
Through their research, programming, resources, and advocacy, DDP showcases and uplifts women throughout the dance industry. DDP focuses on leaders, both artistic & administrative, and artists of merit: choreographers, photographers, lighting, costume, set designers, and commissioned composers.
Founded in 2015 as a database, Dance Data Project® (DDP) was officially launched as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2019. Since then, their team has released 41 reports, and 16 mini reports or “Data Bytes” that focus on a specific problem or issue. DDP has also produced multiple virtual interview series (and one episode in person!), several advocacy campaigns, and extensive resources, including recurring listings of grants, fellowships and residency opportunities.
DDP began as an independent project researching the lack of new female choreographic works. DDP also examine gender imbalance in artistic and administrative leadership in dance companies, venues, and organizations. their research began with a focus on examining productions by companies generally rooted in or greatly influenced by the European classical form, but has since grown to examine modern and contemporary dance organizations and leaders.
The “ballet world” has only recently begun to discuss gender inequality in leadership. DDP uses their data to enrich conversations that create change. Through their original research and information derived from DDP Listening Tours, DDP highlights companies and initiatives that are making concrete gains in promoting female choreographers and women in leadership positions. Through sharing the results of their data analysis and acquired insights directly from the field, DDP designs programming specifically tailored to the needs of up-and-coming female talent in ballet.
Data Gathering- Dance Data Project® provides metrics-based analysis to examine the gender distribution of artistic and administrative leadership in dance companies, venues, and organizations. Using publicly available information, DDP ranks national and international dance companies based on their annual financial reporting from the IRS and other sources. DDP encourages the dance community to be forthright in its policies and procedures to help advance their mission toward full gender equity.
Education- “Raising the Barre: Curriculum for the Next Generation of Leadership in Dance” offers creative solutions to properly equip female dance leaders of the future with vital skills to strengthen their careers. This free series is accessible on the DDP website and each session is accompanied by a tangible resource. Viewers can watch and rewatch each episode and utilize the assets to compile a robust toolkit to build their careers.
“DDP Talks To” is an ongoing interview series engaging new & emerging talents as well as current leaders in the dance world: choreographers, art directors, journalists, dancers, set/lighting/costume designers, patrons, festival/venue programmers, etc.
“Moving Forces: Motherhood in Dance” compiles a series of conversations with working mothers in varying roles in the dance field to discuss their personal experiences, work-life balance, and recommendations to create an increasingly inclusive dance ecosystem.
“Global Conversations” is a series of bite-size interviews featuring some of the most notable leaders in ballet and the arts today. The series offers a holistic examination of the current state and potential future of classically derived dance as both an art form and a business.
