Kathleen O'Connell

For the record, I was referring to all the claims, including this one — which the complaint itself refers to as a claim. (See number 29 on page 8 of the complaint.) Exactly.

If this suit goes to trial, I assume both sides will use discovery to either substantiate or defuse the claims. I think we can safely infer that Ms. Waterbury has the receipts when it comes to Finlay's emails and texts. For the rest, her evidence at the moment may be little more than hearsay. That doesn't mean that there isn't truth to the claims, but rather that she and her lawyer might not be able to provide any documentary evidence or witness testimony regarding them until they've deposed the relevant parties or subpoenaed the relevant documents, which, I believe can only be done if the parties proceed to trial.

For what it's worth, Ms. Waterbury is being represented by Jordan K. Merson, a personal injury lawyer. Judging from his firm's website, his is a fairly standard personal injury practice and handles negligence, medical malpractice, and sexual assault. Every page in the FAQ section of the website contains some version of the following language: How much do you charge? Zero. Nothing for a free consult. We will tell you your options and provide you with information at no charge. In the event that you do have a case, the firm operates on a contingency fee arrangement, which means that we only get a fee if you win. There are no bills to you, hourly charges or any amounts you have to pay until you are successful. By the way, the fact that Ms. Waterbury is using a personal injury lawyer on a contingency fee basis shouldn't in and of itself bias anyone's judgment of her or her claims.

Yes, and they make these protestations surrounded by gay colleagues. I can only imagine how galling it must be for a gay man to hear one of his peers fret about the fact that people might think he's not straight and go out of his way to loudly assert his hetero bona fides. How refreshing it would be to hear a straight male dancer say something like "Yeah, some people think I'm gay, but I don't have a problem with that. Why would I?"

I had this cued up for a post this AM as well. I was really annoyed by the clip when it first aired way back in 2013, and was surprised that the filmmakers included it, frankly. It certainly isn't flattering. In fairness, maybe flattery wasn't the intention.

That would be my assumption. But I am not a lawyer.

New York City Ballet Inc. — i.e., the legal entity that files 990s with the IRS, files CHAR500s with the NYS Charities Bureau, pays its employees and issues their W2s or 1099s, etc etc etc.

If they can find one who'd actually want to come and clean up this mess. (OK, alleged mess.)

Sigh. Yet more details here: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2018/09/05/ballerina-claims-fraternity-like-atmosphere-nyc-ballet/1202147002/. (This is from The Journal News' online site lohud, a local paper for the Lower Hudson region.)

If the allegations are true, I hope that what the dancers think counts as much to the company as what the audience might think.

The first sentence of the Gothamist article indicates that the plaintiff alleges that the photos and videos were shared with "fellow dancers, NYC Ballet employees and donors."

There's also an article about the lawsuit in Gothamist. ETA: also, The Daily News. The details are not pretty.

Be careful with this website. 1) Although Iconic Arts claims to be a 501c3 charity for US tax purposes, and actively solicits donations, I haven't been able to find it listed in any of the usual 501c3 databases. The website doesn't provide any details regarding its founders, staff, its board, where it is located, etc. They may well be legit, but their website is pretty light on the details that would allow anyone to check them out. 2) Note the following disclaimer regarding copyright: "It is possible that this site may contain some copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner." Iconic Arts claims to be making copyrighted material available under the Fair Use doctrine. Selling copyrighted material if you are not the copyright holder or have not been given the copyright holder's permission to do so - usually will not be construed as "fair use." 3) Iconic Arts claims that its prices are "donations" and that it is therefore not "selling" products in the traditional sense. Claiming that the price paid is a "donation" rather than a purchase does not make distributing copyrighted material for money OK under US law.

The storied Village Voice is no more. It's been on life support for an age, but its current owner, Peter Barbey, finally pulled the plug. The Voice was the home of dance historian and critic Deborah Jowitt, who remains one of the greats. (Jowitt chose to resign from the Voice in 2011 rather than change her style and write the kind of sharply negative reviews her editor preferred. She began writing for the Voice in 1967.) The list of great writers, reporters, critics, and cartoonists who were published in its pages is, as they say, long and distinguished.

From NYPL's digital collection, here's a link to a Martha Swope photo of the Frame brothers and Maria Calegari in Agon. It was always a treat to see Agon's Second Pas de Trois when they were cast in it.

So sad to hear this! RIP. I chanced to sit next to him at a performance once after he'd retired, and he couldn't have been more gracious. He waived off my compliments about his own career and enthused about the dancers we'd just seen onstage instead.

Yes, indeed! I should have mentioned bringing me to tears as well, which, believe it or not, Company B almost always did! In wartime, "There will never, ever be another you" means exactly that, for real and for keeps.

RIP, Paul Taylor. Thank you for the countless hours of joy your dances and your dancers put into my life. Thank you, too, for the times your dances provoked me, annoyed me, puzzled me, and made me think.

Yes, NYCB's dancers are members of AGMA.

It may be that both the company and the dancers have decided not to reveal more details regarding the nature of the texts and emails in order to protect the privacy of the complainant or the person or persons on whose behalf the complainant is acting. Coming clean might have its benefits for both the dancers and the company (and might actually be a useful "teaching moment" for aspiring young dancers who look up to these men as role models). But I can also imagine an outcome in which the person or persons making the complaint might be doxxed and harassed by an outraged fan should too much information become publicly available.

Although it's natural to assume that the texts and emails in question were sexual in nature given the current environment and in light of prominent past offenders like Weiner, it certainly need not be the case. And, It's entirely possible that the person (or persons) with a grievance regarding those messages was not their recipient or their intended recipient. There are plenty of ways texts and emails can constitute conduct unbecoming. Moderators: feel free to delete this post if I've crossed the speculation line — my intention is merely to point out that we needn't assume the communication was sexual in nature.

There's plenty of talent further down in the ranks.

I suppose that the intention might have been to provide some context re the potential impact on the company and the season at hand, in which case it does come off a bit like "Meh, no real biggie despite our breathless lede." About that lede ... "New York City Ballet — three weeks from its fall season and still reeling from the departure of its longtime leader, Peter Martins —" Hmmm ... I don't know what it's like inside the company, but it certainly doesn't look to be reeling from the outside.

The complainant may not have been the person or persons to whom the communications were sent.

You are absolutely right on both counts! Fortunately, one of the Watts / Soto performances was taped for archival purposes, and it's available for viewing on site at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. NYPLPA also has video of Watts performing the Divertissement with Sean Lavery in 1982 and 1985. Watts was simply superb in the role. I can honestly say that no other ballerina's performance of it has moved me more than hers did.