Dear Dance Community,

Dance/NYC joins in solidarity with dance workers to support their right to collectively organize. Since the launch of our Dance. Workforce. Resilience. (DWR) Initiative in 2022, we have openly advocated for dance workers’ rights to equitable compensation and just working conditions. Findings from our most recent research, State of NYC Dance 2023: Findings from the Dance Industry Census, revealed that 58% of dance workers believe they do not earn fair wages for their work in dance and 82% of dance workers lack union protections. As dance continues to contend with systemic inequity, protections in the workplace remain critical. We reject any effort to undermine workers' movements to secure safe, equitable, and sustainable working conditions.

Precarity and exploitation in dance work are not new. The firing of the dancers of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is the most recent and egregious example which highlights the continued need for collective advocacy. While this is happening outside of Dance/NYC’s service area, we highlight it here as part of an industry-wide issue that also affects New York City and metro area dance workers. In similar regard, we recognize and support New York Live Arts’ workers right to unionize, and endorse the ongoing rise of labor organizing in the dance field.

We invite you to learn more about what is happening in Dallas and at New York Live Arts, visit the NY Live Arts Worker Union Instagram page for more information on unions, and to take action.

You can join in support of dance workers' organizing by:

• Sending an email to DBDT leadership urging them to cancel auditions and reengage the unionized dancers
• Sharing AGMA’s Do Not Audition notice for DBDT auditions
• Attending and/or sharing the Dallas Rally on Saturday, August 17 in support of DBDT dancers
• Donating and sharing the crowdfunding campaign to financially support DBDT dancers
• Signing the petition encouraging NYLA leadership to voluntarily recognize the union

This is a field-wide problem that is broader than any individuals or any individual company. Dance/NYC is committed to building a sustainable, resilient, and thriving dance workforce, and by leveraging our collective power, we can foster a more equitable and inclusive dance community.