Our impact & community
Paid work for artists. An open invitation to ballet.
Founded in April 2023, Pointeworks creates off-season employment and brings people closer to dance. From five dancers employed for one week to 81 paid dancer-weeks committed for 2026, our progress is made possible by our patrons, partners and community. Thank you for helping us grow.
Paid dancer-weeks
Committed for 2026
Weekly dancer pay
The same rate at every rank
Of our 2026 annual budget
Directly supporting artists
Fees, travel, housing & wellness
Growing paid employment for dancers
Impact by the numbers
Recorded performance attendance and artist participation
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Since April 2023: 2,650 performance attendances, 187 class and education participations, 278 open-rehearsal attendances and 629 community-event participations.
These are recorded experiences, including repeat visits and minimum attendance counts—not unique people. Free admissions are included within these totals. Estimated film and Textile Museum audiences, uncounted walk-ins, unmeasured exhibition visitors and upcoming events are excluded.
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Patron support gives choreographers paid collaborators, rehearsal time and resources to create. Pointeworks has commissioned 13 original ballets from 12 choreographers and licensed five additional ballets. Commissions include works created for future premieres.
Our dancer employment spans 18 dancers and 81 paid dancer-weeks committed for 2026, including October contracts. The weekly dancer rate is $1,500 for every rank.
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At least 1,101 recorded free experiences: 516 complimentary performance admissions, 121 education participations, 23 open-rehearsal attendances and 441 community-event participations. These are included within our overall audience and participation total.
Our two free Rep Weeks and 2026 mentorship program also provided 1,105 participant-hours—a separate measure of learning time. The 500 sponsored community seats planned for October 18 at Balboa Theatre are excluded from completed attendance.
Our commitment
Supporting artists
From five dancers employed for one week in 2023 to 81 paid dancer-weeks committed for 2026, our community has helped grow off-season employment more than sixteenfold. This season supports 18 dancers, with up to eight weeks of work for some artists.
5 weeks · 2023 / 20 · 2024 / 68 · 2025 / 81 · 2026*
Equity through paid work
Every dancer receives the same $1,500 weekly rate, regardless of rank. Paid engagements between company seasons help artists keep earning, developing their craft and building sustainable careers.
Eight full weeks at that rate mean $12,000 in additional gross wages. Alongside a 35-week company season, that would cover 47% of the off-season gap. In our contractual base-pay examples, it is equivalent to a 32–45% increase over a 35-week company base wage.*
Opening doors to ballet
Through free and donation-based events, sponsored seats and local partnerships, we connect people with ballet and the artists who make it. Our records include 3,744+ audience and participation experiences, with 1,101 free experiences included in that total.
Explore our community programs →
500 seats opened. And we’re opening the doors wider.
Sponsored Seats · COMPOSITIONS · October 18, 2026 · Balboa Theatre
500 original goal · 509 complimentary tickets issued · 9 beyond goal
As of October 8, Pointeworks has reached 101.8% of its original 500-seat community access goal. Requests continued after we met that goal, so we are expanding Sponsored Seats in response to demand, with the potential to welcome up to 550 community ticket recipients, subject to available inventory.
Nearly 70% of community ticket registrations responding to our audience survey indicate that this would be their first ballet experience. These responses describe registrants, not all ticket recipients; tickets issued are not yet confirmed attendance.
Your support helps introduce people to an art form they may otherwise never experience—through exceptional professional ballet, original choreography and live music. At $40 per sponsored seat, donors can help sustain this access as community demand grows.
Help open more doors to ballet →
Learning alongside professionals
Free Company Rep Weeks at Ballet Arte and Westside Ballet welcomed 41 participants. Together with our 2026 mentorship program, they provided 1,105 free participant-hours of class, repertoire and rehearsal learning.
Discover mentorship, Rep Weeks and community partnerships →
Making space for new work
Patron support has helped commission 13 original ballets by 12 choreographers and bring five licensed ballets into our repertoire. Our residencies give dancers, choreographers, composers and musicians time to collaborate and create.
Explore our creative residencies →
Creating opportunities for women choreographers
100% of our 2026 ballet commissions were choreographed by women. Patron support gives these artists paid collaborators, rehearsal time and resources to bring their ideas to life.
For context, Dance Data Project® found that women choreographed 32.9% of works presented and 49.5% of world premieres across the largest 150 U.S. ballet and classically based companies in 2025–26. Pointeworks’ figure measures 2026 ballet commissions, including works awaiting premiere; these are distinct measures.
Read Dance Data Project’s 2025–26 Season Overview →
Made possible by you
69.6% of our 2026 annual budget directly supports artists through artist fees, travel, housing and wellness. To every patron, donor, volunteer and community partner: thank you for making paid work, new ballet and wider access possible.
Founder and Artistic Director Sophie Williams contributes her leadership on a volunteer basis and donates any director compensation she receives back to Pointeworks, helping sustain paid opportunities for artists.
Meet our patrons and partners → Support our next chapter →
*Updated September 21, 2026. One dancer-week is one paid week for one dancer; 2026 includes scheduled October work. Earnings examples assume no overlap and use Texas Ballet Theater’s 2026–27 contractual base rates, excluding seniority, negotiated pay, benefits and fees. They illustrate potential earnings, not individual salaries or verified payments.
Attendance through August 20, 2026 includes repeat visits and minimum counts; estimates and future events are excluded. Participant-hours are separate from attendance. Commissions include works awaiting premieres. Artist investment is planned spending, including $5,000 in donated physical therapy.