How can we give female choreographers a lift?


Where have all the women gone? It’s a question that’s become unexpectedly urgent during the last decade, as the choreographic profession has become more and more dominated by men. The point is obviously not that an entire sex has somehow run out of talent, rather that disproportionately few women now seem to be getting the high-profile commissions or running the high-profile companies.

In the case of ballet, it’s always been thus. But contemporary dance has historically been powered by women, from the early pioneers such as Martha Graham and Mary Wigman, to the 60s generation of Trisha Brown, Yvonne Rainer, Twyla Tharp and Pina Bausch. When contemporary dance took root in Britain, the early decades were similarly rich in female choreography. Siobhan Davies, Rosemary Butcher, Yolanda Snaith, Lea Anderson and Shobana Jeyasingh were all significant, influential talents. Now, in 2105, there are women who are active and brilliant in the independent dance sector, but it’s men like Matthew Bourne, Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan and others who have the spotlight.

There are many possible explanations for the shift. As contemporary dance has moved on to a larger stage (with higher financial stakes and a much more visible public profile) women seem to be experiencing more of the inequalities and stress that exist in the wider professional world. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they appear to lack the confidence or even the desire to choreograph the kinds of large-scale work that attracts international funding; that those who want to have children, can find the time-pressured schedules of an international career brutally unworkable. Some women feel there is a persistent, lazy bias among programmers, directors and the media towards the promotion of a few predictable male names in the dance world, and some women feel their careers have been thwarted by more direct, deliberate sexism.

This Wednesday, Rambert will be attempting to move the debate forward, by hosting a public discussion that will focus less on the reasons why women are falling behind than on what can be done to support them. Should artistic directors now make a special point of commissioning work from women, as Tamara Rojo has done with She Said, the programme of all-female choreography to be premiered by English National Ballet next year? Should companies and funders try to make special provision for women in the matter of childcare and touring flexibility? Could more be done at the level of school and college to foster confidence in young women and develop their skills in self-promotion?

To debate these issues and more, Rambert have brought together a panel from a wide range of professional practice and experience. The discussion will be open to the public, but it will also be streamed online as part of Rambert Live, the company’s virtual open day of classes and rehearsals. 

Articles Rambert Dance Company