Rick

5 minutes ago, balletforme said:

It has been picked up international press 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/15/new-york-city-ballet-fires-two-dancers-for-sharing-nude-photos-of-women

Yes, in France, Greece, South America, Australia, and Asia as well.

Anecdotally, many of my friends who are not ballet fans have heard of and expressed shock over the negative publicity,

John Clifford on the NY Times op-ed:

Veyette weighs in. 

1 minute ago, Ilovegiselle said:

So Maria Kowroski commented on Amar's post  "😘❤️" kissy face emoji. 

If Maria supports her, how do we feel about Amar now?  she's the most senior ballerina and well respected at City Ballet.

It's truly confusing. Ashley Hod has also commented supportively on Ramasar's IG posts. I have no idea what to make of it.

I'm speculating, and feel free to delete if this is inappropriate, that Catazaro and Ramasar were fired to appease the donors and prevent a #metoo protest on opening night.

Dance Magazine: The Dance Community Responds to NYCB's Firing of Amar Ramasar & Zachary Catazaro

The Union Plans To Push Back

The dancers' union, American Guild of Musical Artists, also announced that they would challenge the decision to fire Ramasar and Catazaro. They told the NYT that the firings "relate entirely to non-work related activity and do not rise to the level of 'just cause' termination."

Of course, it is AGMA's responsibility to ensure that dancers are only fired for "just cause." Yet shouldn't it also fall on the union to make sure that dancers can work in a safe environment, and protect the women at the center of the degrading conversations that have been alleged? It will be interesting to see how they balance these two obligations.

1 minute ago, On Pointe said:

There is a dancer mentioned in the complaint, not accused of any wrongdoing,  who likely would prefer not to be directly involved in this dispute,  especially given the context in which that person's name is used.  There was no need to do this.  The scuzzy donor retained his anonymity.

Yes, Alexa Maxwell (paragraph 61).

Wall Street Journal - New York City Ballet Faces Fundraising Test as It Comes Under Scrutiny Over Treatment of Female Dancers

As it prepares to launch its season Tuesday night, New York City Ballet is faced with a singular financial challenge in light of a headline-grabbing lawsuit.

Namely, how to raise the millions of dollars the 70-year-old institution needs when its treatment of its female dancers has come under scrutiny.

***

The company said the move to ultimately terminate Messrs. Catazaro and Ramasar came “after further assessment of their conduct and the impact on the NYCB community.”

***

Fundraising consultants and dance professionals say the decision to fire Messrs. Catazaro and Ramasar sends the signal that the company is taking the allegations very seriously. But they also say the situation could stop some donors from contributing.

“It will definitely have an impact on fundraising,” said Juan José Escalante, executive director of the New York-based José Limón Dance Foundation and a former financial administrator at New York City Ballet. Mr. Escalante added that while it is difficult to put an estimate on the decline, he said, “I think it is reasonable to assume anywhere between a 5 to 10% hit.”

***

The company expressed confidence that it won’t be affected financially by the news of recent weeks. “We have been very grateful for the messages of support that the company has been receiving from members of the NYCB community including donors and ticket buyers,” said Mr. Daniels, the company spokesman.

Did Catazaro deny receiving Waterbury's explicit photos, or just that he did not ask for them?

"I did not initiate, was not involved in, or associated with any of Alexandra Waterbury's personal material that was allegedly shared with others."

If I’m reading this quote from NY Times correctly, the dancers and staff at NYCB wanted Catazaro and Ramasar fired?

“The company said in a statement on Saturday that after hearing the concerns of dancers, staff members and others in the City Ballet community, it had decided to fire Mr. Ramasar and Mr. Catazaro. (The statement also said the company had already made the decision to fire Mr. Finlay when he resigned.)”

On 9/12/2018 at 12:33 PM, Olga said:

Lauren Lovette posted these in the comments section of her recent (love to the ladies) post:

 

• “...thank you so much for your comment ❤️ good is doing more than is being publicized right now... so many of us may not be posting on social media specifically about this, but it doesn't mean that we are staying silent or remaining idle. I promise we are fighting for a safe work environment too. Love to you

 

I just noticed Megan Fairchild's (@mfairchild17) comment as well:

"So perfectly put Lauren!!! Sometimes it's not the most natural for women to do so, especially in our competitive environment..."

If the case goes to trial, will the explicit photos and videos be presented to the jury (and anyone else observing the trial)?

Is Waterbury getting Danskin endorsements?

1 hour ago, Olga said:

Lauren Lovette posted these in the comments section of her recent (love to the ladies) post:

 

• “...thank you so much for your comment ❤️ good is doing more than is being publicized right now... so many of us may not be posting on social media specifically about this, but it doesn't mean that we are staying silent or remaining idle. I promise we are fighting for a safe work environment too. Love to you

 

I also keep wondering what Lauren Lovette meant by this statement in that same IG post:

"Encourage one another. ❤️ real strength is refining yourself.... Not bringing your sister down."

5 minutes ago, Helene said:

Does anyone know who the dancers are in Lovette's photo?

If you click on the photo you'll see tags to each dancer's IG account. So, from left to right: India Bradley, Tiler Peck, Unity Phelan, Lauren Lovette, and Miriam Miller.

Lauren Lovette alludes to the complaint in her latest IG post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmhF6KAuG4/?hl=en&taken-by=laurenlovette

On 9/10/2018 at 10:00 AM, balanchinefreak said:

The defendant has 20 days to respond...

Peace out. D-day comes on September 25.

If defendants Finlay and NYCB choose to settle rather than respond to the complaint (I realize that NYCB refused to settle before the complaint was filed), would the settlement absolve them from having to admit or deny the allegations and institute organizational reforms, and will Waterbury waive her rights to pursue criminal charges?

3 minutes ago, its the mom said:

"It was allowed to fester in our current leaderless state."  Leaderless?  Does she/do we actually believe Finlay's behavior would be different had Martins still been at the helm?  Is that what she is implying?

Ashley Bouder is implying that the culture of sexual harassment definitely exists at NYCB, as Waterbury claims.

29 minutes ago, aurora said:

So you are implying he quit the company in which he was a principal dancer...because it isn't true?

Exactly. If Finlay is innocent, why did he resign?

1 minute ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Oh, I've done that. 😉

If the speech referred to in the complaint (it appears to have been just one) was made during an NYCB function, then yes, it might have been someone who ponied up more than a few thousand. However, the complaint only states that the donor "hosted parties" where excessive alcohol consumption was encouraged and that his mike was cut during a speech. It doesn't state that the speech was made at an NYCB sponsored event. 

I think we're both splitting hairs. It seems obvious to me that "parties", in the context of the paragraph mentioning the donor, implied New York City Ballet sponsored events. But we can disagree.

10 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

The donor could easily have been someone with a previous connection to Finlay — a family friend, say, or the colleague of a friend or family member.  Dancers can have friends that they make on their own, and those friends can be encouraged to become donors. 

Yes, but most probably high level nonetheless. According to paragraph 27 of the complaint, the donor routinely gave speeches while drunk.

Ramasar's bio is still on Carousel's website.

Just now, Helene said:

Some are accusations only; others are enough that, after a two-month investigation, NYCB disciplined two dancers and would have a third, had he not resigned when confronted.

Agreed.

Just now, ABT Fan said:

Yes, I’m aware. That’s partly why I said the worst is yet to come. I can’t imagine a new AD walking into this mess. I’d think the job would look a little (to say the least) less appealing now.

Yes of course, I didn't mean to imply that you weren't aware of the scope of the scandal. I just wanted to elaborate on how this complaint is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm just waiting for Alastair Macaulay to opine on this mess. I'm sure he'll have something to say about the ideal qualifications of new AD.