DALLAS — Drama is brewing within a renowned Dallas dance program and its now-former dancers.
A group of former Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) dancers posted to social media on Friday that they had been terminated after forming a union in late May and joining the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).
In an earlier statement shared in late June, the group of unionized dancers claim, that mere days after creating their union, DBDT held its annual “The Big Dance” fundraising event on June 1, which historically includes short performances by the company. The group said then that "DBDT leadership suddenly announced that, for the first time, departing dancers would not be allowed to attend The Big Dance event without purchasing their own expensive ticket."
"This profoundly disrespectful decision was a major departure from past practices and dealt a significant blow to company morale," the group said in a press release. "What a coincidence that leadership made this hurtful decision only after we voted to unionize with AGMA."
The group further added that dancers who had been selected in DBDT's April auditions were not offered contracts to replace the company's four departing dancers. The group also said the morale was further "deflated" by the prospect of the remaining 10 dancers being asked to do the work of 14, citing concerns for their safety, health and well-being.
Ten dancers then became nine, the group said, after a 14-season veteran dancer was allegedly terminated from their position. The group then alleged that the remaining dancers were told they would "no longer be permitted to teach in the DBDT Academy or lead student ensembles – work that has historically been done by company dancers and was already offered to us for next season."
Earlier this week, the dancers announced via a social media post that the AGMA then filed for unfair labor practice charges against DBDT.
On Friday, however, DBDT posted on Instagram that it would be holding auditions for a nearly 10-month contract with the company -- just an hour before another post stating "a difficult management decision" was made involving the now-former dancers of the program.
That social post reads:
"Dallas Black Dance Theatre made a difficult management decision today pertaining to our dancers. It is a decision that DBDT does not take lightly, but one that is necessary to preserve our legacy of professionalism and excellence in dance. Unfortunately, we recently discovered that our dancers engaged in conduct that fails to align with DBDT’s standard of performing at the highest level of artistic excellence and violates several of DBDT’s policies. As a result, the actions are necessary to preserve DBDT’s public standing."
Three hours after DBDT's statement, the unionized group, in a joint post with AGMA, responded on social media with their own comments:
"AGMA is aware that Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) leadership just terminated all their dancers, and we are appalled. This abrupt and shocking development is the latest in a series of actions the Company has taken since the dancers voted unanimously to unionize. Moreover, DBDT swiftly disabling comments on their notably vague social media statement speaks volumes. The entire AGMA membership has these dancers’ backs and we will do everything in our power to protect their rights as artists and workers. We will have more to say, but let this be the start."
On Sunday, Dallas Black Dance Theater sent WFAA the following updated statement, claiming the terminations had nothing to do with unionization, but instead, a video:
"The Dallas Black Dance Theatre has made the difficult decision to terminate main company dancers after a video surfaced that violated their contractual terms and our standards of artistic excellence. This decision is unrelated to their choice to join the American Guild of Musical Artists, and we value their right to organize. While we cannot comment publicly on specific personnel issues, we remain committed to honoring and respecting the rich heritage and history of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and we are dedicated to continuing our mission of creating and producing contemporary modern dance at the highest level of artistic excellence."
The company did not specify what was in that video, but a termination letter sent to WFAA by the company dancers references one posted on Instagram on June 21st. In the termination letter, the dancers are told the video posted on their public Instagram account was "unprofessional conduct," that "negatively impacted DBDT's public image and the ability of DBDT to hold out its dancers as role models and mentors to aspiring Black Dancers."
The letter claimed, among other things, that the video violated company policy by using the company logo and company headshots without permission, by doing dance moves that are “not professional and reflect vulgarity,” and by using cell phones “during normal business hours inside the studio.”
"If they told us that the video violated a policy or disrupting company functions, we would have taken it down immediately because that wasn’t our intention," former dancer Terrell Rogers Jr. told WFAA Sunday in an interview. "But we don’t think it was doing that at all."
Rogers Jr. told WFAA that all main company dancers were terminated, and they are worried about what they will do next.
"It removes a huge part of my income, an income I expected to have for 11 months for the upcoming season," he said.
"A lot of us have re-signed leases," now-former DBDT dancer Brianne Sellars added in an interview with WFAA. "So even if I did get the opportunity to go somewhere else, I don’t necessarily have the financial means to break my lease and move across the country."
The former DBDT dancers have launched a GoFundMe asking supporters to help cover their costs of living while they seek new employment.
DBDT's auditions are scheduled for Aug. 17. Dancers, however, are calling for those auditions to be canceled and to have their jobs reinstated.
The union representing the fired dancers Monday issued a "do not work" order for Dallas Black Dance Theatre for all AGMA members, as well as members of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA), SAG-AFTRA, among others. The order means members of the unions can't audition for or work with DBDT until the order is lifted without facing consequences, such as potentially losing their union membership.
In a statement posted to Instagram, AGMA President Ned Hanlon said the dancers' firing was "clearly retaliation for unionizing."
“A Do Not Work Order is not something AGMA issues lightly. It is reserved for the most egregious actions taken against our artists, and I can’t recall the last time AGMA had to issue such an order," said Hanlon in a statement posted to Instagram. "What is happening to the dancers of DBDT, who stood united for a voice in their workplace, is one of the most extreme cases we’ve ever encountered. We will use every tool at our disposal to send a clear message—not just to Dallas Black Dance Theatre, but to any company that might consider this kind of injustice.”
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