Dance Data Project ® reports reveal decrease in budgets and gender disparity amongst choreographers in ballet and classical companies

The Dance Data Project® (DDP) recently released two reports with findings on a drop in major ballet companies’ budgets and gender distribution among choreographers during the 2022/2023 season.

The DDP’s ballet budget study examined the largest 150 U.S. ballet and classically-based companies, which revealed that companies had a 31% decrease in operations expenditures in FY2021 compared to the previous year. This was an 11% larger gap than that between FY2019 and FY2020. The decrease signals that recovery is slow and the impact of COVID-19 is severe.

The second study was part of DDP’s 2022/2023 Season Overview, recording 1,637 works from the season among the largest 150 ballet and classically-inspired companies in the U.S. Data revealed that women choreographed 32% of all works, breaking down to 23.9% of full-length and 35% of mixed bill works. DDP reports this was an increase from 29% women-choreographed works from the previous season.

• Check out Dance Data Project’s ® The Largest Ballet & Classically Based Companies
• Check out Dance Data Project’s ® Season Overview 2022/2023

---

The Arts Education for All Act to be introduced in the 118th Congress

The Arts Education for All Act (AEFA) will be introduced by Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) to Congress. As the broadest arts education policy bill ever introduced in Congress, it includes key provisions that will support the offering of arts education and programming experiences to Americans, including our youngest learners, K-12 students, and youth impacted by the juvenile justice system. The bill will also include provisions that would allow for rigorous arts and arts education research to be carried out to further inform how elementary and secondary education in our country is improved.

The legislation was previously introduced by Rep. Bonamici in October 2021 and was endorsed by Grantmakers in the Arts, National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), Americans for the Arts, the Arts Action Fund, and nearly 300 other organizations.

• Learn more about the AEFA
• Endorse this legislation on behalf of your organization
• Encourage your representatives to support and cosponsor the AEFA

Photo by Shana Sureck

---

Human Services Council offers free advocacy workshops

The Human Services Council’s (HSC) Organizing Academy—through its #JustPay Campaign, will host several workshops in October to provide advocacy tools to engage in organizing and power-building efforts. The #JustPay Campaign has been working on addressing pay inequity for human services workers. Dance and arts workers can benefit from considering the methods of advocacy and organizing offered in their own efforts to advance economic equity.

The free-to-attend workshops include:

• October 3: staff development and advocacy campaigns for executive directors and CEOs
• October 10: advocacy basics, helping attendees learn the legislative process and relationship-building
• October 17: building relationships with New York State government, and aspects of advocacy basics 

• Check out the 2023 Organizing Academy workshop series
• Learn more about the #JustPay Campaign
• Learn more about the Human Services Council

---

Department of Justice proposes new rule to improve online accessibility for government websites and apps

The Biden/Harris administration, through the US Department of Justice (DOJ), proposed a new rule to set accessibility standards for state and local government web-based and mobile app-based services to help governments ensure equal access to services, programs, and activities and meet the obligations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The proposed rule incorporates an internationally-recognized accessibility standard for web access, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and proposes adopting technical standards including image descriptions, video captions, and keyboard navigation.

ADA requirements currently apply to government websites and some organizations and tech experts suggest the proposed accessibility standards will eventually extend to private entities. At present, guidelines and standards for private websites are unclear.

Members of the public are invited to respond and submit comments on the Federal Register until the October 3, 2023 deadline, after which the DOJ will review public feedback and consider adjustments.

• Check out the fact sheet on the proposed rule
• Review the full text proposed rule and submit a formal comment
• Check out DOJ press release on the proposed rule