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Peter Martins Sexual Harassment Allegations


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3 hours ago, Helene said:

I really wasn't expecting an immediate answer from the New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/arts/dance/peter-martins-ballet-harassment.html?_r=0

Unless I missed it, this is the first time that former company executives were referred to.

Lordy, I guess I didn't think this could get worse (and, I'm including Martins' latest DUI in that sentiment). Lavery? I'm guessing that dancer probably signed an NDA as part of his "salary" so we may not learn those dirty details. Can we expect this whole sordid affair to be played out in an upcoming Law and Order: SVU episode? 

Yes, body shaming accusations do not belong in this investigation. Of course, leaders should be tactful and hopefully kind in addressing weight issues, but lumping in "He told me I was fat!" with serious physical and sexual abuse allegations is ridiculous.

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This is sort of OT but one of the more memorable moments in an otherwise ponderous documentary on the POB was a cadaverous looking corps girl telling an icy Brigitte Lefevre that she had lost weight, and Lefevre giving the girl a condescending smile of approval. Body image issues run rampant in the dance world and I agree that they should not be confused with charges of sexual assault, physical abuse, or (as in Martins' case) run-ins with the law (DUI, domestic violence arrest).

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8 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Yes, body shaming accusations do not belong in this investigation. Of course, leaders should be tactful and hopefully kind in addressing weight issues, but lumping in "He told me I was fat!" with serious physical and sexual abuse allegations is ridiculous.

This was lumped in because it also resulted in a financial settlement from the company; something was serious enough for the company to write a check.

This was published in the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/turmoil-continues-even-after-new-york-city-ballet-chief-hands-in-resignation/2018/01/02/2d8eb7ba-efe9-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html?utm_term=.752d4235a8b3

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1 minute ago, canbelto said:

This is sort of OT but one of the more memorable moments in an otherwise ponderous documentary on the POB was a cadaverous looking corps girl telling an icy Brigitte Lefevre that she had lost weight, and Lefevre giving the girl a condescending smile of approval. Body image issues run rampant in the dance world and I agree that they should not be confused with charges of sexual assault, physical abuse, or (as in Martins' case) run-ins with the law (DUI, domestic violence arrest).

Canbelto it's funny you should mention that. The girls in that documentary looked skinnier to me than dancers I've seen in other companies for a while.

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1 hour ago, sandik said:

True, but Ratmansky is a resident choreographer, not an artistic director.  There's an expectation of exclusivity for an AD that you don't have for other positions.

When Ratmansky was head of the Bolshoi, did he make work outside the company?

If the role is split, it doesn't mean that there have to be two AD's, especially since that was an epic fail with Martins and Robbins.   The responsibilities can be re-arranged in many ways.

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I thought the most recent NYTimes article was really weak tea--no substance at all, just an aura of vague 'upset' around Martins. Nor does it help the cause of women -- who ARE exploited, taken advantage of, silenced in many workplaces -- when reporting on such a serious matter is done in such a loose, gossipy way.  Kelly Cass Boal went public with a pertinent story as have others. But 'I felt bad ... etc. ' is not (yet) a story. Not a New York Times story anyway. And telling teenagers not to talk to the press seems plenty sensible to me...

When reporters have a story that adds to what is known about the substantive issues that explain why Martins was put under investigation and has now resigned, then by all means they should publish. What Balletforme wrote above is true: there are real problems being confronted here, and on the record. But why confuse the matter with banalities.

  Quoting Ann Bass??: here is an earlier Ballet Alert discussion:  http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/21247-anne-bass-leaves-sab-board/?page=2

That thread would likely have read very differently today...

(Also on the inadvertently absurd front: I love and respect Bouder as a dancer and I love and respect her work as a voice for women and women's creativity in Ballet too. But her very recent instagram posts on the issue of sexual harassment are literally right next to a photo montage of her life with a picture of Baryshnikov and herself smack dab in the center of it.  Call me a prude, but I'm thinking that if ballet intends to initiate a new era with new criteria for professional ethics and sexual conduct, then Baryshnikov is unlikely to be the poster boy for it. Oh well...I guess there is a reason movie stars have publicists, lawyers, and managers to handle moments like these...)

Edited by Drew
clarification
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32 minutes ago, Helene said:

This was lumped in because it also resulted in a financial settlement from the company; something was serious enough for the company to write a check.

This was published in the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/turmoil-continues-even-after-new-york-city-ballet-chief-hands-in-resignation/2018/01/02/2d8eb7ba-efe9-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html?utm_term=.752d4235a8b3

I don't believe that Bowers was paid off due to "body shaming" or at least not in the context that I think most of us think of "body shaming". That has to be a code word for something else otherwise there would be payouts to numerous other dancers (and at many other companies). I just can't fathom someone getting a settlement for being told, even in the most cruel and malicious manner, that they must lose weight, in a field where asthetics and weight matter. There would have to be a lot more to it, such as body shaming followed by XYZ behavior, but why not be truthful about it now, given all of the other allegations? In any event, though that was reported as the reason for that settlement, the Times did a disservice in my opinion by including other dancers' weight issues with Martins. That still doesn't belong in the same category nor should it be lumped in with the far more serious allegations.

And, that Post article was very interesting in that they interviewed Whelan. 

Edited by ABT Fan
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25 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I don't believe that Bowers was paid off due to "body shaming" or at least not in the context that I think most of us think of "body shaming". That has to be a code word for something else otherwise there would be payouts to numerous other dancers (and at many other companies). I just can't fathom someone getting a settlement for being told, even in the most cruel and malicious manner, that they must lose weight, in a field where asthetics and weight matter. There would have to be a lot more to it, such as body shaming followed by XYZ behavior, but why not be truthful about it now, given all of the other allegations? In any event, though that was reported as the reason for that settlement, the Times did a disservice in my opinion by including other dancers' weight issues with Martins. That still doesn't belong in the same category nor should it be lumped in with the far more serious allegations.

There could have been a number of reasons Bowers was paid off. I agree it had to have been more than "You're fat." But NYCB dancers are covered under medical insurance. 

One thing I wonder about is the fate of Darci Kistler who is still on the faculty of SAB. As well as Ask La Cour, Peter's stepson. If I were them I'd be polishing up those resumes ... 

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I think the only good thing that may come out of this is hopefully Ask's days are numbered at NYCB.  He is the weakest male principal, and always has been.

I thought it was pretty interesting that Bouder was re-posting from Natalie Portman's  (Mrs. Millepied's)  website. 

.

  

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I'm perplexed by Boal and Frankfurt's objections to the way the investigation is being run. She says he did something in 1989, he says he didn't, a firm has been retained to conduct an objective investigation. Of course they're going to try to find logical problems with the allegations and look for ulterior motives. It's only a whitewash if Martins's interview is not interrogated similarly.

And recording such interviews is definitely not the norm.

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2 minutes ago, cinnamonswirl said:

I'm perplexed by Boal and Frankfurt's objections to the way the investigation is being run. She says he did something in 1989, he says he didn't, a firm has been retained to conduct an objective investigation. Of course they're going to try to find logical problems with the allegations and look for ulterior motives. It's only a whitewash if Martins's interview is not interrogated similarly.

And recording such interviews is definitely not the norm.

My thought exactly. If you are accusing someone of something that happened over 25 years ago an investigator has to ask a lot of questions. 

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18 minutes ago, cinnamonswirl said:

I'm perplexed by Boal and Frankfurt's objections to the way the investigation is being run. She says he did something in 1989, he says he didn't, a firm has been retained to conduct an objective investigation. Of course they're going to try to find logical problems with the allegations and look for ulterior motives. It's only a whitewash if Martins's interview is not interrogated similarly.

And recording such interviews is definitely not the norm.

I  found Mrs. Boal's objections/complaints about the manner in which the investigation was conducted, as reported in the Post, to be utterly ridiculous.

Edited by abatt
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24 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Lordy, I guess I didn't think this could get worse (and, I'm including Martins' latest DUI in that sentiment). Lavery? I'm guessing that dancer probably signed an NDA as part of his "salary" so we may not learn those dirty details. Can we expect this whole sordid affair to be played out in an upcoming Law and Order: SVU episode? 

Yes, body shaming accusations do not belong in this investigation. Of course, leaders should be tactful and hopefully kind in addressing weight issues, but lumping in "He told me I was fat!" with serious physical and sexual abuse allegations is ridiculous.

Sexual harassment and physical abuse at a ballet company is peak SVU. I'm sure that Dick Wolf and Co. will be all over it.

Weight/body shaming isn't sexual or physical harassment, but one could argue that it does contribute to a toxic work/school environment. I think it's particularly important to be delicate with minors like Ms. Stewart. Honestly, I think that any sensitive conversations about a minor's progress at SAB should happen via the parents/guardians, not the student. And it seems like Stewart was berated by Martins for experiencing a natural developmental process. "He told me I was fat" sounds trivial, but I can understand how that might contribute to an eating disorder in an impressionable young girl. And adult dancers need to be given a consult with a nutritionist and a meal plan if they are asked to lose weight. Dancers tend to be Type A perfectionists, and some will go to extreme measures and starve themselves.

There is also a difference between a situation like Kathryn Morgan's - where an illness leads to weight gain - and a size 2/4 dancer who is asked to become a size 0 dancer for "aesthetic reasons" (I think that Balanchine often had unreasonable expectations for dancer weight loss).

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Wilhelmina  Frankfurt and Kelly Cass Boal left NYCB many years ago.  I don't understand why their opinions are given such weight now.  They have had years to go public with their claims without any fear of retribution from Martins,  and presumably they have moved on with their lives.  Would the Boals welcome criticism of PNB's board and company practices from outsiders?  So far the only current company dancers to come forward by name have been supportive of Martins,  although it's hard to tell where Ashley Bouder stands.  She appears to be critical of him,  without really saying anything,  but she has had a very good career under his direction.

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10 hours ago, abatt said:

Perry Silvey, the long time stage manager at NYCB, has posted a defense of Peter Martins in the comment section of the NY Times article announcing Peter's retirement.

From Silvey's post:

Quote

I have worked very closely with him for over forty years, and I can say with assurance that Peter is not an abuser, either sexually or physically. He is instead a leader who has grown in ability and competence.

There are of course unhappy dancers or ex-dancers. Some thought they deserved a certain role they were not cast for, or believed they should be promoted but were not, or simply did not like his manner, and each of these people thinks that Mr. Martins was not fair to them. I understand their disappointments, but cannot see them as evidence of unfairness or abuse on Peter’s part.

I believe that the ongoing investigation will conclude that the vague and anonymous charges brought against him will be seen as personal grudges, and not evidence of mismanagement or abuse.

 

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I just came across this quote in an LA Times article.  

"Martins had gone out with Kistler for some months when she was only 16, then the youngest dancer ever made a member of the company."

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-06/magazine/tm-3085_1_city-ballet/7

Can anyone imagine a school principal who had dated a 16 year old, been arrested once for physically assaulting his wife and twice for a DUI being allowed to continue to serve as a leader of children?  And Martins was leader not just of NYCB, but also SAB.  

If creating a great dance company means tolerating such behavior, then I, for one, think the price is too high.

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5 hours ago, abatt said:

I  found Mrs. Boal's objections/complaints about the manner in which the investigation was conducted, as reported in the Post, to be utterly ridiculous.

I didn't think they were ridiculous so much as they were a natural reaction to someone who isn't accustomed to legal interviews. 

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7 hours ago, On Pointe said:

Wilhelmina  Frankfurt and Kelly Cass Boal left NYCB many years ago.  I don't understand why their opinions are given such weight now.  They have had years to go public with their claims without any fear of retribution from Martins,  and presumably they have moved on with their lives.

Maybe because they saw how the board dealt with Martins beating Kistler as something to be swept aside and realized their complaints wouldn't result in any action on the board's part? Maybe they thought the not-so-subtle message in Perry Silvey's online defense of Martins -- that any criticism of Martins is just sour grapes -- would be precisely what they would be confronted with?

5 hours ago, minervaave said:

Can anyone imagine a school principal who had dated a 16 year old, been arrested once for physically assaulting his wife and twice for a DUI being allowed to continue to serve as a leader of children?  And Martins was leader not just of NYCB, but also SAB.

Answer: no

8 hours ago, abatt said:

I think the only good thing that may come out of this is hopefully Ask's days are numbered at NYCB.  He is the weakest male principal, and always has been.  

I have to speak up for him. Unless he's done something wrong, he shouldn't be punished for any transgressions made by his mother's ex-husband (who isn't even his father.)

I saw him perform once (in Jewels). He wasn't the best male on stage (that would be Anthony Huxley) but he was far from the worst either (that would be Charles Askegard and Sebastien Marcovici).

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4 hours ago, sandik said:

I didn't think they were ridiculous so much as they were a natural reaction to someone who isn't accustomed to legal interviews. 

Barbara Hoey is a litigator. Her clients are corporations. Per her Kelley Drye & Warren bio, Hoey "works with human resources, in-house counsel and boards of directors to conduct investigations into complaints of alleged wrongdoing by upper level executives" and "[Her] objective is to work with her clients to avoid expensive disputes while positioning them in the most advantageous way should litigation ensue."  She's doing her job, but that may not be what the parties she's spoken to expected when told they were being contacted in connection with the Board's investigation into Martins' conduct. Nor may it be what the company needs, or at least, it may not be the only thing it needs.

I can't say I'm much surprised that it's taken years for people to come forward with their charges. Nor would it surprise me if people with more recent complaints (or people who could corroborate those complaints) chose to keep silent now. Martins was (and probably still is) powerful; Robert Lipp, the vice chairman of the Board told the dancers he hoped that Martins could return to his role once the investigation was complete; some of the company's most admired dancers have spoken openly and very publicly in his defense; blogs, message boards, and comments threads contain more than a few posts openly suggesting that the dancers lodging complaints are losers, or neurotic, or just not tough enough to make it. If I were a young dancer unsure of my position in the company or worried that I might not be able to build a career in the art that I love and had dedicated my life to, I might not speak out either. 

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6 hours ago, minervaave said:

I just came across this quote in an LA Times article.  

"Martins had gone out with Kistler for some months when she was only 16, then the youngest dancer ever made a member of the company."

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-06/magazine/tm-3085_1_city-ballet/7

Can anyone imagine a school principal who had dated a 16 year old, been arrested once for physically assaulting his wife and twice for a DUI being allowed to continue to serve as a leader of children?  And Martins was leader not just of NYCB, but also SAB.  

If creating a great dance company means tolerating such behavior, then I, for one, think the price is too high.

So she was 16, and he was 34. More than 2x her age...

I have no issue with large age differences when both parties are adults, but there is a word for a 30+ year old dating a 16yo and it isn't a nice one.

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There's a big difference between a third-party investigation and an independent investigation.  The third-party investigator that is hired and funded by a business or organization is paid to fulfill their aims, and NYCB is paying for this.  It isn't like a Special Proscecutor investigating someone in the Executive branch but answerable to Congress, which has its own aims and politics.

If Martins dated Kistler at 16 when he was 34, the question is whether that was statutory rape.  I don't know how to find what the age of consent was in NY at the time.  Currently it's 17.  It used to be unless you were married, and the age for marriage was raised from 14 to 18, with a judge needed for permission to marry at 17, in June 2017.  They didn't marry until over a decade later.

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I guess I'm jaded, but it seems to me that anybody who has watched a TV show about lawyers or police investigations would have  realized that  attorney Hoey would be testing Kelly Boal's memory of an event that took place decades ago, and also confronting her with evidence that she continued to have contact with Martins, voluntarily, even after she quit NYCB (the pool party). 

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