Research
Dancers’ Group undertakes research projects as a service to the San Francisco Bay Area dance field, its artists, funders and other stakeholders.
Space Alliance Report: Bay Area Artist Space Needs in 2021 | June 2021
In 2018, Dancers’ Group, Intersection for the Arts, and Theatre Bay Area formed a working group to explore opportunities to share space and deepen organizational collaboration. The San Francisco Arts Commission supported their work, and they called themselves the Space Alliance.
In the Spring of 2020, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Space Alliance paused its work. In February 2021, the group reconvened and engaged Marc Vogl and Kelly Varian of Vogl Consulting to support a new round of research and discussion about the potential to share space, deepen collaboration, and address the space needs of artists and cultural organizations in a profoundly different post-pandemic context.
COVID-19 Impact Survey | May 2020
Findings from a survey of 49 dance organizations and 184 individuals
Health of the Dance Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and California | 7th Annual Update – Mar 2019
Dancers’ Group continues to ‘crunch’ a variety of numbers for an ongoing and unique research project that focuses on California’s dynamic dance community. We have gathered statistics from DataArts for seven years – with data that covers 9 years – to reliably track a series of indicators to understand the “health” of dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and statewide.
Health of the Dance Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and California | 6th Annual Update – April 2018
With data that now covers eight years, Dancers’ Group has reliably tracked a series of indicators to understand the health of dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and statewide. Our objective continues to be to create a short-list of reliable indicators that reflect the economic impact of the dance ecosystem, and serve as evidence of community support in the most direct, measurable way, which we believe would be meaningful over time.
Health of the Dance Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and California | 5th Annual Update – May 2017
Over the past five years, Dancers’ Group has led a unique research project that focuses on California’s dynamic dance community, gathering statistics from DataArts that we have reliably tracked over time. For this research project, Six Key Benchmarks were identified to track and posit activities in our sector. Our objective was to create a short-list of reliable indicators that reflect the economic impact of the dance ecosystem, and serve as evidence of community support in the most direct, measurable way, which we believe would be meaningful over time.
Health of the Dance Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and California | 4th Annual Update – April 2016
For the past four years, Dancers’ Group has spearheaded research on California’s dynamic dance community, gathering statistics from DataArts (formerly the Cultural Data Project) that we can reliably track over time as indicators of the health of dance in the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) and statewide.
As we add another year of data to this report, it is exciting to watch the trends of the dynamic and vibrant dance sector develop, giving us valuable insight into the health and vitality of the field.
A plan that looks to provide guidance and strategies for Dancers’ Group to remain agile and resilient in the face of any future staff changes, and to serve as a resource for other dance entities to use as a template in their own transition planning.
The process to create a Living Transition Plan started in 2014 with funding from the Center for Cultural Innovation to support Dancers’ Group’s “emerging” leaders (those under the age of 35). Because no changes are on the horizon for Dancers’ Group, the plan is “living,” meaning that we plan to revisit and update it as new ideas, needs and perspectives emerge.
We wanted to take this opportunity to imagine a plan that would be useful for Dancers’ Group as well as other entities in our vibrant and varied dance ecosystem. Think of it as a workbook. A launching pad.
Health of the Dance Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and California | 3rd Annual Update – March 2015
In this third year update, Dancers’ Group continues to spearhead a research project gathering data from the California Cultural Data Project (CDP) that serve as key indicators of the health of dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and the state of California. This ongoing longitudinal research project seeks to track key indicators over time. Read the report here.
Towards a Healthy and Sustainable Dance Ecosystem
A working paper exploring Dancers’ Group’s role in the San Francisco Bay Area Dance Ecosystem, prepared as part of Dancers’ Group’s 2014 strategic planning process.
This paper attempts to “map” those parts of the dance ecosystem in which Dancers’ Group plays a supporting role. The goal is to explain how Dancers’ Group does and does not currently support the dance ecosystem through its various programs, and where Dancers’ Group and its partners might find additional leverage in strengthening and supporting the dance ecosystem.
Health of the Dance Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and California | 2nd Annual Update – February 2014
For the past two years, Dancers’ Group has spearheaded a research project gathering data from the California Cultural Data Project (CDP) that serve as key indicators of the health of dance in the San Francisco Bay Area that we can track over time.
Our 2nd Annual Update is the beginning of this long-term tracking, adding the most recent data available—through June 2012—into the mix. We are eager to share with you comparable data on dance throughout California as captured in the CDP in this update. You’ll be able to review the activity in the San Francisco Bay Area and California respectively, as well as take a look at how the data compares.
Dance Activity in the San Francisco Bay Area
In the summer of 2012, Dancers’ Group received a research grant from the California Arts Council to analyze the data in the California Cultural Data Project (CDP) with the ultimate goal of creating a system for identifying and tracking a select number of benchmark data points that would chart the dance sector in the region over time.
