Syracuse City Ballet Dancers Let Go After Going on Strike; Executive Director Responds

BroadwayWorld recently learned that, on Friday, November 10, all eight of Syracuse City Ballet's professional dancers expressed concerns about their physical and emotional wellbeing to the company's Executive Staff and Board of Directors ahead of the annual performance of The Nutcracker.

According to the tip we received from the dancers, they proceeded to go on strike after the Board did not address these concerns, and made proposals as to how to continue with the production of The Nutcracker despite this. However, the Board proceeded to fire most of the dancers, and place one on administrative leave.

While on strike, the professional dancers offered the Board multiple, carefully thought

“As dancers, we want nothing more than to wake up, work hard, and share our life’s work with our community,” stated Cara Connolly, dancer with SCB since 2019. “Even while on strike, we gathered to take class together and rehearse, renting studio space on our own thanks to some donations from friends and even former board members.”

Melissa Minjares, Executive Director of the Syracuse City Ballet, provided a statement, confirming that the dancers have been let go.

"Unfortunately, the Syracuse City Ballet recently concluded that it had no option but to replace several dancers who refused to resume their duties in accordance with their contractual obligations," the statement reads.

"After it was clear that all discussions with these dancers had reached an impasse, the board made the decision to replace them so the show could go on," Minjares wrote, before confirming, "Yes, the Nutcracker will proceed as planned."

Read the full statement below:

Unfortunately, the Syracuse City Ballet recently concluded that it had no option but to replace several dancers who refused to resume their duties in accordance with their contractual obligations.  Despite good faith discussions held with these dancers to address their concerns, they made inappropriate demands on the Ballet's management, requiring that we terminate one employee and effectively demote another.  They made clear that if the Ballet did not accede to their demands, they would not return to rehearsal and would not perform for the Ballet before our biggest performance of the year.  Of course, this jeopardized the Ballet's ability to proceed with its production of the Nutcracker, which is scheduled to commence on December 1, 2023.  After it was clear that all discussions with these dancers had reached an impasse, the board made the decision to replace them so the show could go on.  Yes, the Nutcracker will proceed as planned.  Some of the original dancers are still with the Ballet and will perform as planned, while other temporary guest dancers and are now working diligently to be prepared for opening night.   

The dancers who walked off the job on November 12th recently attempted to characterize their actions as a "strike" due to unsafe working conditions.  Based on the Ballet's initial review of the matter, there do not appear to be any valid workplace safety concerns which the Ballet has not addressed.  Instead, it appears that the dancers are harboring a personal animus against employees with whom they artistically disagree. Still, the Ballet has engaged an independent investigator to fully evaluate complaints made. Some of the same dancers who made complaints have refused to participate in this investigation.  Even after the Ballet suspended one of its employees about whom the dancers complained, the dancers still refused to return to rehearsal.  The Ballet will not terminate employees without cause and replace them with others whom the dancers' prefer simply because they don't like the current artistic approach.  If this is a "strike", the Ballet believes it is unlawful because employees do not get to demand who the Ballet can hire and fire based on their personal preferences.  It was a sad day--not just for the Ballet but all the children who are working so hard in rehearsals and looking forward to performing in the Nutcracker. When these professional dancers walked away from the show two weeks before the performances.