Nine former Dallas Black Dance Theatre main-company members are seeking reinstatement after the company fired them in an apparent attempt at union busting. The still-unfolding situation led the American Guild of Musical Artists to issue a Do Not Work Order on August 12, prohibiting AGMA, Actors’ Equity Association, and SAG-AFTRA members from performing services for Dallas Black Dance Theatre until the company agrees to enter into collective bargaining with AGMA.
DBDT terminated all of its 2024–25 season dancers on August 9, shortly after posting a statement about the decision and an audition notice for new company members on Instagram. “An hour later, the dancers were all notified by email that they had been terminated,” says Griff Braun, national organizing director of AGMA. (Requests for comment from the dancers were directed to AGMA.)
Within a few hours, DBDT had removed comments accusing the company of union busting and restricted commenting on Facebook and Instagram. On Monday, they also altered their statement. According to the new postissued by the board of directors, the company terminated all main-company dancers for creating a video that “violated their contractual terms and our standards of artistic excellence.” The statement further says the decision is unrelated to the dancers’ decision to unionize earlier this year.
On June 21, the dancer-run Instagram account @dancersofdbdt had posted a satirical video filmed in the DBDT dance studios and parking lot. DBDT leadership confirmed to Dance Magazine the video was the reason for termination, citing company policies prohibiting personal use of DBDT property and cell phone use in the building, among other contract violations.
But the dancers were not on contract when they were terminated. Company members had unanimously voted to unionize on May 29, and AGMA had yet to reach an agreement with DBDT administration for the upcoming season. DBDT executive director Zenetta Drew says portions of the video were created while dancers were working under a previous contract.
“Because this video violates our company policies for use of our name, brand, and does not reflect the organization’s values, we had an immediate and negative impact on our public image,” says Drew.
Company leaders say they learned of the video’s existence around July 25. AGMA says the dancers were not warned the video broke with company policies, nor were they asked to remove it prior to being fired. Drew confirmed this and says contract language permits the company’s actions. In her 37-year tenure, she says dancers have been terminated without warning—though never the entire company at once.
“We regret the impact these incidents have had on these talented dancers,” Drew says. “Many of them have worked with us for several years. However, as a business we have to make the top-line decision of what’s most important.”
According to Braun, the administration made changes to established norms almost immediately after the dancers unionized. In the past, for instance, dancers leaving DBDT had been invited to the company’s annual gala, The Big Dance. For this year’s gala, however, which took place June 1, three departing dancers were told they’d have to pay for their tickets. AGMA raised concerns at the time and was directed to the company’s lawyer.
DBDT held auditions in April, but rather than replacing the three dancers who had chosen to leave at the end of the season, the company opted to consolidate the number of contracts. Ten returning dancers received letters of intent, the usual process by which DBDT issues season contracts. According to Drew, the number of dancers can fluctuate from season to season.
Veteran dancer and rehearsal director Sean Smith was among those planning to return; his offer of employment was revoked on July 15. DBDT would not discuss the reason Smith was fired but said it was unrelated to the video, which he had taken part in. According to AGMA, the remaining company dancers were also told they were no longer eligible to teach in the company’s school or lead its pre-professional ensembles.
On July 24, the dancers issued a public statement requesting that Smith be reinstated. In the statement, they ask the administration to hire four new dancers, citing safety concerns they claim would arise in a smaller company, and to “commit to working…honestly and collaboratively in bargaining to establish a strong first union contract.”
On August 1, AGMA filed unfair labor practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board. A new claim, filed on August 9, now seeks an immediate injunction to reinstate the fired dancers. AGMA would not comment further on the details of pending litigation. DBDT board president Georgia Scaife says the union has been in contact with the company’s attorneys.
Braun says the dancers want to return to work and the union wants to negotiate with the nearly 50-year-old institution. “In the short term, we’ve got an entire company of professional dancers that are suddenly out of work,” Braun says. “They received notice 10 days before they were to return and start their season.”
The Do Not Work Order that AGMA issued Monday afternoon is, Braun and his colleagues say, unprecedented for the union. Late Tuesday afternoon, AGMA sent out a call to demonstrate in Dallas on August 17. Members and supporters intend to stage a rally on the public sidewalks outside Dallas Black Dance Theatre while the company holds auditions.
“There is no company right now,” says Braun. “And we don’t feel anybody should audition for this company under these circumstances.”
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