Beyond The Stage: Broadening Dancer’s Horizons with The Athlete’s NIL Playbook

With the recent rise in discussion around Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), amateur sports organizations like the NCAA have tapped into a gold mine of exposure and income for their athletes by capitalizing on their ability to partner with sponsors and monetize their likenesses. In 2021, the NCAA adopted an interim NIL policy that permits college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness without jeopardizing their eligibility.[1] This shift was rooted in the right of publicity, a state-law-based legal concept that allowed individuals to control the commercial use of their personal brand.[2] California was the first state to initiate such change for collegiate athletes with the passing of the Fair Pay to Play Act in 2019, whereas Florida would be the first state where NIL compensations came into effect.[3]

The recent NIL boom provides a peek into the prospects and the particular leveraged these athletes have when capitalizing on their personal brands. Enriched with unique opportunities to attract sponsors, build followings, and drive audience engagement on the basis of their personal brand the future appear to be firmly in their grasp. A particular industry that could benefit from these lessons is ballet companies. By empowering dancers to cultivate individual identities and monetize their own likenesses, companies could increase exposure for their artists and expand the reach of the art form.

In addition to a frenzied market for athletic NIL deals, women’s sports are gaining more attention in the mainstream, now constituting 15% of total sports media coverage.[4] Women’s stories—and athleticism—are being elevated, and the market response is positive.  Revenue increases of 300% from 2021 were projected in 2024, with women’s sports surpassing $1 billion for the first time.[5] This is all thanks to impactful players like Caitlin Clark, Ilona Maher, and Simone Biles.

 On the heels of the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team’s historic bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics,[6] Ilona Maher, the team’s center and wing, made a global impact through her social media presence during and after the games.[7] Her authenticity and empowering message have made her the most-followed rugby player globally.[8] She uses her platform to advocate for body positivity, gender equality, and to provide a glimpse into the life of a female athlete.[9] Her social media presence is not just beneficial to her own career; Maher has challenged traditional notions of femininity in sports, leading to the promotion of a more inclusive and empowering narrative for women athletes.[10]

The key is in messaging, and an athlete who knows herself and can identify how she can relate to a broad audience with authenticity will garner success in the NIL space.[11] Ballet dancers possess the grace and resilience female athletes like Ilona Maher demonstrate—their stories and experiences deserve to be elevated as well. By doing so, the art form stands to see broader acceptance into the mainstream, along with women's rugby, basketball, and gymnastics. Without de-emphasizing ballet’s significance as a performing art, capitalizing on its impressive athleticism through NIL deals will have the dual effect of expanding the careers of dancers and stoking a broader appreciation for the art form.

Dancers often transition seamlessly to careers in modeling as skill sets such as perfect posture, innate elegance, body control, and an understanding of the physical demands are cornerstones of both industries.[12] However, dancers have assets beyond their grace and beauty that many companies are under-utilizing. Past experience demonstrates that partnering with ballet dancers has garnered massive success for brands looking to expand their market or create a fresh image for themselves.

For instance, in 2015, American Ballet Theatre promoted Misty Copeland to Principal—the first black ballerina to earn the title in the company’s history.[13] Due to her inspiring story of resilience and hope, Copeland quickly became a household name and a new face to the stale, dated image of classical ballet in America. The year prior, Copeland partnered with Under Armour to promote their women’s brand as the face of their ‘I Will What I Want’ campaign.[14] The aim of the campaign was to highlight Copeland as a “role model for diversification within the traditional art form,” and increase their marketability to the female demographic by inspiring more women to embrace their athleticism.[15] 

The campaign, wildly successful, celebrated “women who defy expectations and ignore outside judgments.”[16] Copeland was the perfect fit – both as someone who broke barriers within the ballet world and subverted the ballerina stereotype for those on the outside.

In partnering with Under Armour, Copeland also represented the art form’s athleticism, reminding everyone that as much as ballet is an art, it is a sport. With the rise of NIL success stories and celebration of women’s sports, the time is ripe for ballerinas to expand their reach beyond the stage.

[1] Michelle Brutlag Hosick, NCAA Adopts Interim Name, Image, and Likeness Policy, NCAA (Jun. 30, 2021, 4:20 PM), https://www.ncaa.org/news/2021/6/30/ncaa-adopts-interim-name-image-and-likeness-policy.aspx.

[2]See generally Fla. Stat. § 1006.74 (2021)(outlining provisions concerning school compliance).

[3] Cal. Sen. Bill 206, 2019 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Cal. 2019); Fla. Stat. § 1006.74 (2021).

[4] Hannah Taylor, Women’s Sports Media Coverage is Booming. Here’s How it Can Grow Even Faster, Parity (Mar. 6, 2024, 11:00 AM), https://impact.paritynow.co/womens-sports-media-coverage-is-booming.

[5] Ashley Joseph, How Caitlin Clark Fever is Driving a New Era of Women’s Sports Marketing, Ad Age (Apr. 29, 2024, 9:00 AM), https://adage.com/article/sports/how-caitlin-clark-fever-driving-new-era-womens-sports-marketing/2555111/.

[6] Georgina Mccartney, US Women’s Grassroots Flourishes After Olympic Sevens Heroics, Reuters (Mar. 6, 2025, 10:54 AM), https://www.reuters.com/sports/us-womens-grassroots-flourishes-after-olympic-sevens-heroics-2025-03-06/.

[7] Emma Burdett, The Ilona Maher Effect: A Modern Masterclass in Branding, Influence, and Women’s Sport, LinkedIn (Dec. 9, 2024), https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ilona-maher-effect-modern-masterclass-branding-womens-emma-burdett-vzthe/.

[8] Id.

[9] Id.

[10] Stephen Mumford & Sheree Bekker, Ilona Maher and the Myth of Feminine Fragility – How One Rugby Player is Reshaping Sport, Durham Univ. (Mar. 10, 2025), https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/current/thought-leadership/2025/03/ilona-maher-and-the-myth-of-feminine-fragility--how-one-rugby-player-is-reshaping-sport.

[11] Joseph, supra note 5.                    

[12] Janelle Okwodu, From Ballet to Burberry: Abby Bass Is a Graceful New Face (Mar. 28, 2016), https://www.vogue.com/article/abby-bass-model-interview-ballet-to-burberry.

[13] Mandalit del Barco, Misty Copeland Becomes First Black Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre, npr, (Jun. 30, 2025, 4:15pm), https://www.npr.org/2015/06/30/418924576/misty-copeland-becomes-first-black-principal-dancer-at-american-ballet-theatre.

[14] How an Uber-Masculine Sports Brand Became a New Symbol for Female Athletic Aspiration, alto, https://altony.co/work/under-armour-misty-copeland.

[15] Press Release: Under Armour Signs American Ballet Theatre Soloist Misty Copeland, Under Armour, Inc. (Jan. 14, 2014), https://about.underarmour.com/en-us/stories/press-releases/release.11726.html.

[16] ALTO, supra note 14.