Dance Data Project®

As we recognize Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, DDP is proud to highlight the appointment of Ching Ching Wong as the first-ever Resident Choreographer of Boulder Ballet — a milestone that marks an exciting new chapter in the company’s artistic evolution and long-term creative vision. Over the next three seasons, Ms.Wong will collaborate closely with the company to create new works and further develop repertory, helping shape a distinctive artistic identity for Boulder Ballet. A Manila-born Chinese Filipino American choreographer, Ms. Wong is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award in Dance and was named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch. Her work centers on storytelling, delight, humanity, and bold maximalist aesthetics. She has created works for companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s CREATE intensive, Northwest Dance Project, Louisville Ballet, SALT Contemporary Dance, and Boulder Ballet. In addition to her choreographic work, Ms.Wong previously toured internationally as rehearsal director for Ballets Jazz Montréal, stewarding works by acclaimed choreographers including Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. She is also the founder of Project Salamat, a global outreach initiative spanning 14 countries. At DDP, we celebrate leadership appointments that elevate women and AAPI voices in choreographic spaces and continue pushing the dance field toward greater representation and equity. Photos courtesy of Boulder Ballet.

What does it take to create a new ballet while navigating the realities of career and motherhood? On Inside the Ballet, DDP Founder Liza Yntema sits down with choreographer Penny Saunders to discuss Sherlock, a reimagining led by Irene Adler—the woman who outsmarts Sherlock Holmes. This episode pulls back the curtain on the artistic process and the structural support needed to make it possible. Ms.Saunders shares how she was able to create, travel, and sustain her work on her own terms. 🎧 A must-listen for anyone interested in the future of ballet.

In rehearsal with Pacific Northwest Ballet // NEXT STEP Performances: May 15 & 16, 2026 NEXT STEP is PNB’s annual choreographic workshop where Company dancers have the opportunity to create original works for PNB School Professional Division students. This year's choreographers include: Luther DeMyer, Ashton Edwards, Zsilas Michael Hughes, Elle Macy & Dylan Wald, Leah Terada, and Lily Wills. 📸 All photos by Lindsay Thomas. Photo 1: Dylan Wald, Elle Macy and PNB School Professional Division Students rehearsing. Photo 2: PNB School Professional Division Students rehearsing. Photo 3: Ashton Edwards watches PNB School Professional Division Students rehearse.

From boardrooms to backstage, Dance Data Project® Founder & President Liza Yntema—this time joined by her husband Mark Ferguson—returned to Nashville Ballet for a one-day listening tour, marking her first visit since 2019 and continuing DDP’s ongoing engagement with the company. During her visit, Liza met with key institutional leaders including Artistic Director & CEO Nick Mullikin and with board members representing a wide range of professional backgrounds and expertise—emphasizing the critical role of governance. Conversations ranged from strategic planning to community impact. A happy reunion and new connection point: Liza reconnected with Rehearsal Director Kate Crews Linsley and met members of the production and technical teams, including Master Electrician Kimberly Pukay and Production Stage Manager Helen Moreau. As women remain significantly underrepresented in many craft, technical, and union theater roles, these conversations underscored an important area DDP hopes to continue highlighting and exploring. The visit culminated in opening night of Attitude, featuring Marina Konrad’s Lumina, with a score by composer Karen LeFrak, alongside Penny Saunders’ Sherlock—spotlighting the dynamic female voices shaping today’s repertoire. DDP Listening Tours are essential to understanding how leadership, artistry, and equity intersect in real time.

In rehearsal with New Ballet // Giselle Performances: May 16, 2026 - May 17, 2026 San Jose, California's New Ballet will present Giselle, a world premiere re-staging by Artistic Director Dalia Rawson. 🎥 Stefana Seizovic and Mikey Desai-Knight as Giselle and Albrecht. Video courtesy of New Ballet.

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company // The Joyce Performances: May 13-17, 2026 American Ballet Theatre Studio Company will perform at The Joyce, including works by Tiler Peck and Katie Currier. 📸 Photo 1: Saudade by Katie Currier, featuring Kiera Sun. Photo by Hyunseok Lee. Photo 2: Variations for Three by Tiler Peck, featuring Ptolemy Gidney, Geonhee Park, and Maximilian Catazaro. Photo by Emma Zordan.

This Mother’s Day, DDP honors artists like Lauren Lovette, moving through rehearsals, city commutes, and everyday moments with her baby—holding together the demands of creative practice and parenthood with resilience, presence, and care. Her experience reflects a broader truth across the field: working mothers in dance are not stepping away from artistry—they are expanding it, redefining what it means to build a sustainable creative life. Dance Data Project is committed to supporting this reality through tangible philanthropy and programs that center working artists. We champion systems that support women who are simultaneously creating life and creating art—helping make it possible to build careers where both can exist, and thrive, without compromise. To all the mothers in dance: your work is shaping the future of this art form, in ways both seen and unseen. Happy Mother's Day from DDP.

In rehearsal with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago // Spring Series 2026 Performances: May 14, 2026 - May 17, 2026 Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will present Spring Series 2026, a program featuring world premiere works by Aszure Barton and Chanel DaSilva. 📸 Photos by Brandon Jones. Photos 1-2: Chanel DaSilva in rehearsal for ATLAS. Photo 3: Head of Wardrobe Jenah Hensel with choreographer Chanel DaSilva. Photos 4-6: Aszure Barton in rehearsals for LubDub.

In rehearsal with Boston Ballet // Spring Experience 2026 Performances: May 7, 2026 - May 17, 2026 Boston Ballet will present Spring Experience 2026, a program featuring a world premiere work by Lia Cirio. Ms.Cirio has been a company artist since 2004 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2010. Her choreographic debut was through Boston Ballet's ChoreograpHER program. She is the co-founder of Cirio Collective, where she serves as both a dancer and the Assistant Artistic Director. 🎥 Lia Cirio's After by Ernesto Galan, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Well Said Wednesday 👏 "Coming from the Latino community, I know what it feels like to be tokenized. There was this big push to get female choreographers, but you don’t just do it once, right? You’ve got to maintain the language. You’ve got to be showing ‘This is our commitment to Latina choreographers.’" — Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico, in a recent Pointe Magazine feature on Mujeres: Women in Motion. DDP couldn’t agree more. Representation is not a one-season trend or a one-time initiative—it requires sustained commitment, intentional programming, and long-term investment. We applaud Ballet Hispánico and Eduardo Vilaro for recognizing that true equity means creating consistent opportunities for women choreographers. Thank you to Pointe Magazine for highlighting this important conversation and the leadership shaping a more equitable future in dance. #WellSaidWednesday

What if building a company didn’t start with the company? In our latest DDP Talks To, Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies, Founder & Director of Little Tanz Theater, shares how she approached launching her work with intention—prioritizing sustainability, flexibility, and proof of concept before scaling. A reminder that there’s no one path to building something meaningful in the arts. 🔗 Read the full DDP Talks To interview with Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies, link in bio. Photo by Gabi Rosenthal

In rehearsal with Rena Butler // Whim W’him Performances: May 8, 2026 - May 16, 2026 Whim W’him will present Spring ‘26, a program featuring a world premiere work by Rena Butler. She is the recipient of the 2019 Princess Grace Foundation Award for Choreography and San Francisco’s 2024 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. Ms.Butler’s contemporary dance, ballet, and opera work has been commissioned by Het Nationale Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and San Francisco Opera among others. 🎥 Videography: Devin Muñoz @munozmotions Dancers: @jacobinabody @owenfulton @aliyajanov @jem_powe @proudmesitza @yoshisanders ⁠