In Dallas, an Entire Dance Troupe Was Fired. Now They’re Protesting.
The New York Times
Former artists of Dallas Black Dance Theater say they were dismissed in retaliation for forming a union. The company denies the accusation.
The renowned Dallas Black Dance Theater opened its 48th season with a showcase of African dance on Friday. It should have been a night of celebration.
But as audience members filed into Moody Performance Hall in Dallas that evening, they were greeted by a group of dancers, musicians, teachers and union activists who denounced the company’s recent decision to fire and replace its main troupe of nine full-time dancers. A giant inflatable rat, a symbol of union protest, glowered on the sidewalk.
“Dallas Black, bring them back!” the demonstrators shouted. “Tear up your ticket, join our picket!”
The protest was the latest salvo in a monthslong dispute between the former dancers and Dallas Black Dance Theater, a troupe with a storied history and a budget of about $4.4 million.
The dancers say they were fired in August in retaliation for voting to form a union. Dallas Black Dance Theater’s leaders deny that charge, saying they were terminated for posting a video that violated company policies on their Instagram account, @dancersofdbdt. In the video, set to the theme from the 1990s sitcom “Family Matters,” the dancers strike goofy poses, twerk, hang from a ballet barre and at one point, pretend to punch each other.
Now the dispute threatens to cloud the company’s new season, with the fired dancers demanding to be reinstated and vowing to form picket lines at coming performances.
