DoubleShanks

Thought some might like the behind-the-scenes on this given Degas' drive for authentic portrayals of the ballet world. Degas' 14 y.o. dancer sculpture gets new tutu from Met experts From 'The Cut' (my bold) -- >> Recently, curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan decided that The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, a sculpture created by Edgar Degas in 1881, was due for a fashion makeover. >> The Costume Institute’s conservator, Glenn Petersen, was presented with the challenge of updating the condition of the small dancer’s tutu, which curators thought looked tattered and dirty after all these years. This was actually how it was supposed to look, but not according to Degas. (Or the Met, for that matter.) The skirt has been replaced at least twice before, and therefore the look of its new one was open to interpretation. >> “If we can bring something to it now that makes the skirt really look harmonious with the sculpture and shows that we’ve paid attention to the way that Degas depicted dancers and the sense of movement, that will really add to the way that people view the sculpture,” Petersen says in a video depicting his process. “That’s my goal.”

Thank you for sharing; I'll keep an eye out for this locally or via an online source.

I'm pretty confident there will be more voices coming forward. Whether SAB and/or NYCB shares them as part of their investigative findings, or civil suits are filed against Martins or the orgs, or first-hand experiences continue to surface, I'm sure they'll be more fodder for discussion. I don't know if any of you have had the "pleasure" of speaking out about toxic work or school environments but I've done so twice. Once as the person willing to go on record unlike the numerous others who'd made official but not formal complaints; once as just one of a large group spanning roles/departments. Neither involved physical/sexual abuse. 20 years apart, completely different types of situations and settings (university program vs work environment). I can't emphasize enough how both perpetrators were mid-level, nothing-special, and easily replaceable -- and yet there was fallout from coming forward and tension as the respective investigations dragged on. So I can't imagine the hell of trying to speak out about any of these all-powerful leaders such as Martins (Weinstein, Lauer, Rose etc). And really the other names I just listed don't have the artistic laurel wreaths Martins has. *If* there is even more to come out than what's emerged already (which for me is plenty) -- imagine the pressure to not "destroy" the school, the company, the legacy, etc etc by speaking out.

I went back to one of the earlier Washington Post articles mentioned in the thread, this from Dec 4. Possibly behind a paywall I'm looking to see if Hinrichs has stated this publicly -- if not it's technically hearsay -- but the Post hasn't printed a retraction in the last month, so. "Wilhelmina Frankfurt, a former NYCB dancer, said she was among the SAB alumni called in to meet with SAB Executive Director Carrie W. Hinrichs.. [snip] Frankfurt said Hinrichs told her, 'It’s come to our attention that there’s been sexual misconduct on a very high level at our school.'” Note the way the statement is presented as fact vs a possibility.

[Thank you for the addition, Helene] Laws around age of consent and statutory rape have evolved over the past several decades, and cultural tolerance for relationships between minors and adults 5+ years older has shifted but not evaporated. But I certainly wonder about adults who show a documented pattern of sexual attraction* to and/or engagement with minors or very young adults. Like Martins in his 20s and 30s. Did he evolve enough to keep his inclinations just that -- or was he inappropriate with SAB and underage company dancers? What's been reported publicly is vague enough to keep SAB and NYCB from having to admit legal or ethical complicity...for now. *covering the "dating may not equal sex"

Greetings from a lurker who appreciates finding such nuanced, wide-ranging, and enthusiastic commentary! Former low-level student dancer who enjoys ballet history, set and costume design, documentaries/memoirs, and of course performances. Admit the issues within the dance world have often tarnished my enjoyment and led to long periods of stepping away from the above. Found this forum because of the Martins 2017 situation...and have been following the thread here. Registered because I hadn't seen anyone reference a [online] People magazine article from 1978 which [casually!] references Martins and Watts living together since 1970 (from the time she was ~16 and he ~ 23). I hadn't realized their non-professional relationship started when she was a minor. Source (People 1978)