Behind the Numbers

Limits of Data

The data from balletpaths.com regarding the most common training institutions should be viewed as a possibility for dancers to make it to the top 50 largest ballet companies in the United States, not as a guarantee or fact. There are several potential fallacies in the source of this data:

1. AI Imperfections: Despite several data quality checks for accuracy, consistency, and validity, it was impossible to manually verify the data for 1,714 dancers and over 4,000 training institutions.
2. Variability in Training: Not all training experiences are equal. The duration and intensity of training at an institution can vary greatly. Some dancers may have received private instruction or spent a short time at a place and made significant progress.
3. Timeliness of Training: The data includes training for all dancers in the largest 50 companies, including apprentices. Some experienced dancers may have completed their training 10-15 years ago or more. Future analyses may focus on recent hires.
4. Source of Training Institutions: The training institutions were either explicitly listed on a dancer's individual page on a company website or extracted from their biography. If a dancer did not list their training in their bio, it was not included. This was noted for several experienced Principals and Soloists.
5. Human Error: Dancers may refer to the same training institution by different names. We attempted to map these variations, but errors may have occurred. Examples include:

Practical Uses

Your spouse just accepted a new job in Scottsdale, Arizona. You purchased a house in Mesa. Your youngest daughter, heading into the 8th grade, has received distinction on her ballet exams over the past few years. Your son, in the 3rd grade, is just starting year-round swimming. Your youngest daughter in kindergarten really seems to enjoy singing, theatrical plays, and tap dancing. You conducted some online research and noticed that there are several dance studios in the area. Many studios seem very competition-based, which would not work for your eldest daughter. You recognize a well-known ballet company located to the west of your home but are concerned about getting your daughter to classes in rush hour (especially with having to get your son to swim practice). You check out balletpaths.com and notice that Ballet Etudes in Arizona is listed for having several former dancers now in the top 50 largest companies in the United States. You call and schedule a preview class.