GENDER EQUITY AND ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITY: DDP’S SIXTH GLOBAL RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHERS REPORT (AND 60TH OVERALL STUDY) FINDS WOMEN HOLD 44.6% OF POSITIONS WORLDWIDE
Northfield, IL | May 14, 2025 | Dance Data Project® (DDP) has released its 60th overall research study and sixth annual Global Resident Choreographers Report, offering the most comprehensive data analysis to date on resident choreographer positions in the dance industry. Often overlooked yet critical, the role of resident choreographer provides both artistic and financial stability in a field where freelance labor is the norm. “This milestone 60th report is a testament to DDP’s purposeful iteration and expansion to encompass the global dance economy,” said DDP President and Founder Elizabeth ‘Liza’ Yntema. She continued, “The resident choreographer role often represents one of the only pathways to job security for choreographers—but these positions remain rare, and access to them still tends to favor men.”
This year’s report examined 440 dance companies—275 based in the U.S. and 165 internationally—an increase from 378 companies analyzed in 2024. For this sixth edition, DDP expanded the international sample and included the Largest 125 U.S. Contemporary and Modern Companies for the first time. DDP identified 202 resident choreographers across 141 companies, up from 158 choreographers at 111 companies last year. Of the 202 choreographers currently holding resident positions, 90 are women (44.6%), 110 are men (54.5%), and 2 are gender expansive individuals (1%). This marks a slight increase from 2024, when women held 43.7% of resident roles, continuing a slow but consistent upward trend from 36.2% in 2023, 31.6% in 2022, and 28.6% in 2021.
Resident choreographers often hold dual titles within an organization—most commonly as artistic directors. This year, DDP identified 64 individuals who simultaneously serve as both resident choreographers and artistic directors. Of these dual roles, 36 are held by women (56.25%) and 28 by men (43.75%). Additionally, 45 of these leaders founded their companies, with women founding the majority (57.8%). The highest concentration of founding choreographers/directors was found among the Largest 125 U.S. Contemporary and Modern Companies, which had 1.8 times more founding leaders than the Largest 150 U.S. Ballet Companies, and 9 times more than the global sample.“Contemporary and modern companies in the U.S., despite significantly smaller budgets, offer more leadership opportunities to women,” said DDP Research Lead Jenna Magrath. She continued, “These companies operated on a combined $177 million in FY2022, almost four times less than U.S. ballet companies, yet they are the clear leaders in fostering equitable artistic leadership.”
This year’s report also expanded the scope of leadership analysis. Beyond artistic directors, DDP identified 17 resident choreographers holding additional leadership positions, 11 of whom are women (64.7%), 5 men (29.4%), and 1 gender expansive individual (5.9%).
Compensation data also revealed significant disparities. Based on FY2023 tax filings, the average salary for 47 U.S.-based resident choreographers was $76,629, ranging from $12,040 to $371,755. The top three earners—Justin Peck (New York City Ballet), Mark Morris (Mark Morris Dance Group), and Bill T. Jones (Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company)—are all men. Their outsized compensation skews the average: when excluding these outliers, average male compensation drops from $116,393 to $60,954, compared to $63,260 for women.
Among the 165 global companies analyzed, only 10 contemporary and modern companies employed resident choreographers, compared to 38 ballet companies. Within the global contemporary and modern sector, women now outnumber men in resident roles, holding 57.1% of these positions. In contrast, 76.2% of global ballet resident choreographers are men. Among sole resident choreographers (those not holding dual artistic director roles) in the U.S., the largest share of women (54.5%) have held their positions for one to five years, indicating a recent and encouraging trend toward increased hiring of women in these roles. Women directors/choreographers also dominate the longest-serving category (21+ years), with 60.6% of these U.S.-based roles held by women. Among the global sample, the largest percentage of women directors/choreographers (52.6%) have served in their roles for one to five years. However, when excluding dual artistic director/choreographer positions, men equal women in the 1-5 year tenure and outnumber women across all other tenure categories — highlighting the continued challenges in achieving standalone recognition. “DDP’s findings around tenure of resident choreographers reveal a powerful story,” said DDP Senior Research Consultant Junyla Silmon. She continued, “Women are increasingly taking on leadership roles—particularly in smaller or self-founded companies—but the path to sustained recognition as a resident choreographer remains steep, especially for those not in artistic director positions.”
The 2025 Global Resident Choreographers Report is available now on the Dance Data Project® Research Page.
