Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity Statement
Nashville Ballet is invested in creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. We believe we can best achieve our mission by creating a climate of respect that is supportive of all voices, celebrating diverse stories, increasing arts access, and sparking communal discussion about our community and our world through our art form and artistic programming. When considering the diversity of the Nashville Ballet community, we look at all aspects, including race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, disability status, geographic (rural/urban), and sexual orientation. However, Nashville Ballet recognizes the racial inequalities that have plagued the dance world for far too long and is deeply committed to educating our constituencies on systemic racism, engaging in antiracist work in every branch of our organization, and doing our part to abolish racial inequalities in ballet.
Work To Date Highlights:
Hosted an organization-wide antiracism training that included company dancers, administrative staff, full-time faculty members, and Board members.
Established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI) that includes Board members, employees, and community members, and codified it as a standing committee in our Board bylaws.
Started a tuition-free Adaptive Dance program, providing an opportunity for children of all abilities to experience the joy of dance.
Hosted a series of conversations with dancers, staff, faculty, and Board members about our DEI goals and included stakeholder-driven strategies in every branch of our strategic plan.
Hosted an All Access Inclusion Training (AAIN) training for School of Nashville Ballet staff to make classes more inclusive for neurodiverse individuals.
Formed partnerships with other local dance organizations like Rejoice School of Ballet and Moves and Grooves.
Collaborated with MOBBallet to create a more inclusive and equitable audition process for professionals seeking company positions during the pandemic.
Assigned two staff DEI Leaders to provide strategic leadership and ensure accountability for all DEI efforts.
Ongoing Goals and Work in Progress:
Partnering with diverse artistic collaborators, including musicians, choreographers, guest artists, production and costume designers, videographers, and more to broaden the scope of artistic programming.
Continuing to host interdepartmental conversations about our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in collaboration with our DEI Committee.
Creating a new, free-of-charge virtual season to increase the accessibility of art forms to diverse communities.
Research potential barriers to entry for School of Nashville Ballet training and develop strategies to remove them in order to increase the inclusivity of our talent pipeline.
Deepen relationships with diverse community organizations and develop an infrastructure to maintain those relationships long-term in a mutually beneficial way.
Diversify our Board member pipeline and ensure committees include membership of both internal/external stakeholders.
To see our current strategic plan, which includes all of our DEI initiatives, please click here.
Nashville Ballet’s Statement on Advancing Racial Equity
The senseless murder of George Floyd highlights the systemic racism and continued disrespect for black lives that permeates our society. The ballet world is not immune to this racism and prejudice, and silence on this issue will no longer be tolerated.
Our world must change. We must take conscious, actionable steps to better ourselves and those around us until we have uprooted and dismantled the culture of bigotry and disregard for black people and all marginalized groups.
At Nashville Ballet, we must begin by furthering our dedication to recognizing, addressing, and abolishing the racial inequalities that have plagued the dance world and remain within this industry.
We pledge to continue our work with the Equity Project and to educate ourselves by looking to voices of color to inform our efforts further. As we program for seasons to come, celebrating and partnering with artists of color, including musicians, choreographers, and others, will remain a primary focus. We recognize the importance of telling diverse stories that reflect the voices of all the members of our global community, and we will remain committed to bringing a repertory that seeks to educate and spark communal discussion about our world. We will further strengthen and diversify our recruitment process to ensure that our Company, our students, and our staff reflect the diversity of our audience.
This commitment doesn’t end with this news cycle, nor should it. Black lives matter—not just today, but always.