FPF

Here is one positive change that the interim team has made in the atmosphere. There is now a minority inclusion committee to address issues of prejudice in the company. The source is a Spanish-language article about Sebastian Villarini-Velez teaching in Puerto Rico this past June: https://www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimiento/cultura/nota/devueltaalpaisdesuinspiracion-2428573/. "He danced against prejudice Villarini Velez also had to fight prejudices because until recently the Latin dancers pigeonholed them in the same characters. But it was not the only thing. He said that on one occasion he was conversing in Spanish with the also Puerto Rican Giovanni Villalobos during a rehearsal and one of the coaches told them they could not speak Spanish. "There is prejudice and there is a lot, but the root of those things comes from ignorance," he said. The good news, he said, is that the NYCB has taken action on the matter and that the new directors of the company have created a minority inclusion committee to address these issues. "Now they are a little more careful and cautious in the way they refer to us," he said."

The complaint just says that Finlay and Catazaro exchanged images, but doesn't describe the images. See pages 16-17 of the complaint (point #73).

Also, there was some discussion earlier on how long Ramasar and Catazaro will be suspended-- Josh Barone from the NYT said until January 2019 on his Twitter (Aug 28th).

The NYT has issued a correction to the article: Correction: September 7, 2018 An earlier version of this article, using information from legal filings, misstated Ms. Waterbury’s age. She is 20, not 19. The article also incorrectly described the nature of the images Mr. Catazaro and Mr. Finlay were accused of exchanging. The lawsuit does not specify what type of images they were. .

I also saw Sebastian Villarini-Velez at Jacob's Pillow a few weeks ago. He was one of the taller men in Interplay. I don't think he's a giant, but he's also not short.

I didn't notice any problems (but I wasn't looking for any either).

At a pre-performance talk at SPAC in July, Justin Peck said that Ramasar should be back by the end of the year. This was before the Carousel closing was announced.

I think not. I believe that she graduated a year before their relationship began. But the complaint also suggests that male dancers were "grooming" the female students. She graduated in 2016 and the relationship began in 2017.

I thought that it looked as though the statement related NYCB to both roles and that the sentence could have perhaps been worded more clearly by her lawyer.

She is actually described as "a nineteen year-old ballet dancer and former student at defendant NEW YORK CITY BALLET, INC." on page 5 of the complaint It seems to me that the the confusion on the issue of her age and NYCB dancer status comes from her lawyer.

That is definitely sloppy reporting.

I think that they may be referring to her age when this started, which was almost a year ago.

The interview can be seen here: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/ballerina-speaks-lawsuit-alleged-sharing-nude-photos-57667029

Interview with Marina Harss about the situation: https://www.wnyc.org/story/fall-season-begins-more-allegations-rock-new-york-city-ballet/

Seconded!

Catazaro is 28 and Ramasar is 36. Both have been with the company for over a decade. They are old enough to know right from wrong. If the allegations are true and they have squandered their careers, it will be unfortunate for them. But, if the allegations are true, I fail to see why the women in the company who they worked with and preyed upon should sacrifice their peace of mind so that Catazaro and Ramasar can be given another chance. I would personally be horrified if I found out that someone had surreptitiously taken/shared nude photos of me and that I was then going to have to continue to work with him. I have liked Ramasar a lot as a dancer, but he is not irreplaceable. Retirements and career-ending injuries are regular occurrences, and there are always younger dancers who can then move up or dancers from other companies who can be recruited. Yes, exactly.

The court document alleges that the photos were shared at "during work hours and on work premises and among its coworkers, agents, servants, employees, donors, principals, and/or others affiliated with the ballet."

I think that the “appropriate action” was last week’s suspension. My understanding is that the notification was in June, but they had an internal investigation between then and the suspensions. So they may have let him dance pending the outcome.

Also, it is possible that in a frathouse environment, some women might not have felt able to refuse them.

My guess is that it's because Finlay is the one who took videos/pictures of her without her consent and showed them to the others and that the three of them seemed to have a text/email chain going on from last fall until she found them this spring. Although the others may have seen the videos/pictures (or taken others themselves), I don't think she would have a personally have case against them as viewers. But it is also supporting what they are portraying as a poor climate for women at the company.

My guess is that if the NYCB lawyers thought that there was a serious case against the company, they would have settled. I think that Finlay is in serious trouble, but the company may not be liable. They must feel very confident to have risked this level of bad publicity. Also, these TV news segments with Ms. Waterbury and her lawyer suggest that other dancers might join the suit.: https://pix11.com/2018/09/05/ballerina-sues-nyc-ballet-for-sexual-degradation-of-female-dancers/

Amar is getting some too.

They are being sued. They are not going to admit anything before trial/settlement.

One would think that having to pay $150,000 in damages for the hotel room would have been taken very seriously.

Amar was the other dancer in the car who the lawyer said his client (Martins) was protecting.