Close up of group of unrecognizable people raising their fists in success.

Is Dance Poised for a Union Boom?

Since 2009, the number of Americans who say they approve of unions and want them to be more powerful has steadily grown. In 2022, the National Labor Relations Board reported a 53 percent increase in union election petitions over the year before, meaning that more Americans were joining together with their co-workers to try to form unions. The agency also estimates that a whopping 60 million workers wanted to join a union that year but couldn’t.

Op-Ed: What AGMA Got Wrong in Advocating for the NYCB Principals Trading Nude Photos of Ballerinas

Last Friday, through an appeal to an independent arbitrator, the American Guild of Musical Artists successfully reinstated NYCB principals Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro, previously fired for allegedly circulating sexually explicit texts containing nude photos. AGMA opposed Ramasar and Catazaro’s terminations in order to prevent the setting of a dangerous precedent that would allow dancers […]

Do Freelance Dancers Need A Union?

Now more than ever, dancers are speaking up against abuses of power that have long been considered foregone conclusions. In many cases, these dancers are backed by a union and protected by solidarity. Union representation has traditionally been the purview of established companies, but many dancers working today are freelancers. As dance employment shifts away […]

Ailey Dancers Put On The Most Joyous Labor Rally Yesterday

“The sun may be shining brightly, but we are not in a very sunny mood today!” said New York State assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal during yesterday’s rally for the Artists of Ailey. The dancers and stage crew are demanding increased wages and more comprehensive benefits, what they have termed “reaching for the standard” and “fair wages.” […]

The Most Surprising Things About Dancing in a Met Opera Production

The last place you might expect to find a graduate of New York University’s decidedly contemporary dance program is onstage at the Metropolitan Opera House, scuttling around in a single three-inch heel, a massive petticoat and an ostentatious wig. But 2016 Tisch Dance graduate Andrea Pugliese can be found doing exactly that in The Metropolitan […]

Why I Wasn't Surprised by the Sleep No More Accusations

Last month, Buzzfeed News confirmed 17 instances of groping or sexual misconduct by patrons of the immersive theater show Sleep No More. Having experienced the show for the first time just a week before the story broke, I can’t say I was surprised by the accusations. No, I’m not bitter because of the more common […]

Ailey Dancers Unite—And Boycott Their Own Gala

Everything was not business as usual at Tuesday’s Kennedy Center gala for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The party was missing an integral piece of the annual celebration: the dancers themselves. The news was shared online yesterday via the Washington Post, which reports that the dancers are in the middle of renegotiating a three-year contract […]