A new report on the current state of gender equality in dance has been released, with a particular focus on the dearth of women in artistic and leadership roles despite the industry being dominated by women. Turning Pointe: Gender Equality in Australian Dance scrutinises companies in the Major Performing Arts sector as well as their multi-year funded counterparts. With research conducted over the past 12 months in conjunction with an advisory committee of industry experts including Lucy Guerin, Amy Hollingsworth, Stephanie Lake, and Carin Mistry, the report identifies the ways in which women are underrepresented in artistic and leadership roles.

“For a long time people have been talking about gender equality in dance both in Australia and internationally, but we didn’t have the appropriate data to understand the full picture,” said report author Andrew Westle. “The report examines the current state of play with a set of data that is confronting. The power now lies in people using this information to advocate, advance and address the issues outlined in the report. Australian stages must reflect the diversity of society.”

One of the most significant findings in the report showed that Major Performing Arts companies programmed full-length works by women only 13 percent of...