Episode 40: Elizabeth Yntema

Episode 40: Elizabeth Yntema

From The Adult Ballet Studio by Elizabeth Blosfield

February 17, 2026 · 44 min · Season 4 · Episode 40

About this episode

Elizabeth Yntema discusses her work with Dance Data Project and the importance of addressing gender disparities in the dance industry.

Dance Data Project President and Founder Elizabeth Yntema is in the studio! Liza founded Dance Data Project in 2015 to shine a light on gender disparities in leadership, compensation, and programming in the dance industry, and since then, DDP has become a global force for accountability and change. Liza and her team are breaking down barriers in the dance field, revealing the data behind funding, leadership, and gender disparities, and showing how anyone — from dance fans to leaders of companies and boards of nonprofits — can use this information to create real change. At 60 years old, Liza faced rejection that almost meant DDP didn’t happen, but her relentless drive turned an idea into a powerful movement for equity and transparency in dance. In this episode, she shares the story of starting DDP from scratch and how its research exposes the gender gaps and systemic bias shaping the industry. She also shares a first look at a new project DDP is working on that will continue its work of empowering women, emerging artists, and companies to challenge the status quo and create new paths. We talk in this episode about strategies that dancers, donors, and arts advocates can use to…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Blosfield

Guest: Elizabeth Yntema

Topics covered

  • gender disparities
  • dance industry
  • advocacy
  • leadership
  • funding
  • equity

Keywords

  • Dance Data Project
  • gender equity
  • dance leadership
  • funding disparities
  • data-driven advocacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dance Data Project

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