City funding for Dallas Black Dance Theatre on hold amid labor dispute

On October 23, Dallas City Council voted to pause funding to Dallas Black Dance Theatre, citing concerns about the firing of its 10 main company dancers earlier this year.

The decision came after a first meeting on October 21, where council members had voted 5-2 to approve a recommendation from the Dallas City Council’s Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee to allocate funding to 55 Dallas-based nonprofit arts groups. But now approximately $248,000 is being temporarily withheld from the dance company for 2024-25.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre maintains that the dancers — who have since been replaced — posted an Instagram reel in August that violated a number of company policies. Rehearsal director and main company dancer Sean J. Smith, a 14-season veteran, had already been fired by the company one month earlier.

The dancers says that the firings were in retaliation for their unanimous decision in May to unionize and demand better working conditions.

Some of the dancers were in attendance at the meeting to voice their support of the funding pause, along with local labor advocates and a union organizer with the American Guild of Musical Artists, which represents the former dancers.

DBDT joins Texas Ballet Theater as the only two Texas companies to unionize with the American Guild of Musical Artists. Only three other contemporary dance companies in the U.S. have unionized with the organization: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, and Ballet Hispánico, all based in New York.

Terrell Rogers Jr., one of the fired dancers, told city council that the dancers faced “the lack of a living wage, substandard and dangerous work conditions, and an extreme command and control-style management that has led to instability both within our ranks, the administrative staff, and the many artistic directors who have come and gone in the last few years.”

DBDT board president Georgia Scaife denied union busting allegations against the company, and said during the meeting that DBDT is prepared to bargain with AGMA.

“We want to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement because that would be a definitive way for everybody to know how to perform, how they should conduct themselves," she said. "If AGMA has any issues with our handbook or policies, those will be addressed at that time."

A 348-page report investigating the firing of dancers was released earlier this year by the Inspector General Division of the City Attorney’s Office. The report includes a timeline of events surrounding the firings, as well as evidence including termination letters, the dance company’s handbook, and interviews with fired dancers, union representatives, and Scaife.

Council members debated for over an hour about whether to withhold the funding, with some expressing concerns about how the decision would affect the dance company and its legacy with the city of Dallas. (The dispute has attracted national attention including a story in the New York Times.)

Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, DBDT established a place for Black dancers at a time when dance was still seen as an exclusionary space.

Executive director Zenetta S. Drew took the reins in 1987 and championed the organization under the motto “relentless excellence.” Under Drew’s leadership, the dance company grew to tour internationally and earn $4.4 million in revenue in 2023.

Drew said in a statement: “DBDT has been – and remains – surprised to hear that the dancers had concerns with the working environment at DBDT. The dancers did not raise concerns with DBDT’s leadership before organizing and did not specify any concerns in their letter asking DBDT to voluntarily recognize the union.”

The National Labor Relations Board is currently reviewing unfair labor practice charges that the union filed against the dance company in June and August. In September, the dance company filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union.

Council member Gay Donnell Willis spoke directly to Scaife in the meeting, saying while the council is awaiting a decision from the National Labor Relations Board, she wants to see action from the dance company.

“There’s nothing stopping your board of directors from doing a deep dive into your practices, wages, and showing this council that you are taking this seriously and are hearing the concerns that have been raised by this community,” she said.

At DBDT's season-opening performance of DanceAfrica on October 11, fired dancers and protestors gathered outside Moody Performance Hall to voice their displeasure with the group. They were joined by a giant inflatable rat named Scabby, a symbol to shame companies that hire nonunion labor.

A committee under the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission will meet on November 7 to reconsider the funding allocation to the dance company. The Quality of Life, Arts and Culture committee will meet on December 3 to discuss the advisory group’s feedback. The recommendation will then go to a vote in the next Dallas City Council meeting.

Council member Adam Bazaldua said on Wednesday that while he respects the dance company’s legacy, the city needs to hold institutions accountable.

“We do not have sacred cows in this city,” he said. “We stand for something as a city of Dallas. If the partners and uses of tax dollars are not going to adhere or align themselves to the priorities of our city, we should absolutely take action that reflects that.”