DALLAS — The Dallas Black Dancers, who were all fired for joining the American Guild of Musical Artists, have reached a $560,000 settlement with Dallas Black Dance Theatre bosses. On Dec. 9 the union described the settlement, which included an apology by the theater’s board of directors, as “historic in scope.”
The 10 dancers, who joined the union in May, were fired Aug. 9. Throughout the fight, they and their supporters kept the pressure on the dance company, with picket lines outside the theater’s performances using replacement dancers.
In early December the National Labor Relations Board charged theater owners with dozens of unfair labor practices.
The dancers had planned to host a performance to raise strike funds Dec. 18-19. They turned it into a celebration.
Reflecting the wide support the dancers won, both performances were sold out. Members of the dance and art community, members of area unions, community supporters and family members of the dancers filled the seats.
Terrell Rogers Jr. one of the fired dancers and choreographers, told the Dallas Morning News that this can open the door for a new era to emerge. “An era where dancers felt safe, where dancers felt heard, where dancers were compensated properly.”
“What’s happened at Dallas Black Dance Theatre has sent ‘ripple effects’ across the dance industry,” New York-based costume designer Erica Johnston told the Morning News. “It does send a message to other artistic leadership that dancers are not disposable.”
As part of the settlement, none of the fired dancers decided to return to the dance company. “While this settlement allows our lives to go on,” the dancers said in a joint statement, “we recognize that the fight for accountability and justice at DBDT is far from over.”