Of the 50 million students currently in American public schools, only 18% have access to dance education. (National Dance Education Association)
Of those students, only 7% are taught by a certified dance specialist, rather than a sports coach or general educator. (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance)
Most dancers begin training between the ages of 5 and 15 and many have their first professional audition before they turn 18. (Bureau of Labor Statistics: Dances and Choreographers)
In sum? Kids get serious about dance early and get hooked earlier than that, even if they don’t intend to pursue a full-time dance career. And as the NDEO reports, “participation in high-quality arts education programs nurtures persistence, resilience, achievement” in numerous arenas. Yet many students never have the chance to carve out a space on the dance stage.
… So this “Numbers for the Day” is dedicated to Catalogue’s innovative dance companies and movement-focused non-profits, who keep that stage alive and accessible.