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All Rights Reserved, Death of NYC's most beloved restaurants puts landlords in danger, NYC office towers welcome workers back with new tech, toilet protocols, eBay takes $600 off luxury watches for limited-time deal, Where to buy new KF94 masks online to protect yourself from COVID-19, Sur La Table flash sale takes 20 percent off best-selling cookware, This folding treadmill will get you in shape at home, 10 best women’s loungewear sets that are as cute as they are comfortable. But the company was later ordered by an arbitrator to reverse the terminations; Mr. Ramasar returned as a principal dancer, but Mr. Catazaro decided not to rejoin the company. A girl’s lawsuit that when challenged the tradition of the New York City Ballet withered final month when a choose dismissed the corporate and several other different defendants from the case. The New York City Ballet has new leadership, following a lawsuit that rocked the company last year with charges that it fails to provide a safe and fit environment for female dancers. The former New York City Ballet dancer who sent intimate photos of his girlfriend to others is presenting himself as a victim in a new … In a statement sent through his lawyer, Mr. Ramasar, who also received explicit photos of Ms. Waterbury, said that he was grateful for the dismissal of Ms. Waterbury’s claims against him and that he was “looking forward to the future, having grown and learned from the past.”. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 2018-09-16. The claims against Mr. Ramasar resurfaced this year with the opening of “West Side Story” on Broadway, in which he played Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. Lawyers for Mr. Finlay, Matthew Brief and Ira Kleiman, said in a statement that the remaining claim was “based on a relatively new and untested New York City statute” and that Mr. Finlay did not violate it because he lacked the required intent. A ballet doesn't – can't – exist without dancers. New York ballet company ordered to rehire two male dancers it fired following accusations of sharing inappropriate pics of a ballerina New York City Ballet must reinstate male dancers caught up … Terms of Use Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan, via Getty Images, Mr. Ramasar, center, as Bernardo in “West Side Story.”, ordered by an arbitrator to reverse the terminations. Alexandra Waterbury protesting in January outside the Broadway Theater, where “West Side Story” was in previews. In a brightly lit studio high above the busy Manhattan streets, Roman Mejia rehearses George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante. The surviving claim against Mr. Finlay, who resigned from the company before Ms. Waterbury filed her lawsuit, relates to a city law that made it illegal for someone to distribute an “intimate image” of a person without consent, when the intent is to cause “economic, physical or substantial emotional harm” if those images are spread. Your Ad Choices From ticker; The Daily Gazette on 2018-01-02 22:55 New York City Ballet scandal leaves some wondering about legacy 68,073, This story has been shared 59,764 times. Ms. Waterbury had blamed the company in her lawsuit for condoning a “fraternity-like atmosphere” that “permeates the Ballet and its dancers, and emboldens them to disregard the law and violate the basic rights of women.”. » Watch The Next Ep. Popular New York City Ballet hit with major sex based scandal. The longtime leader of the New York City Ballet is retiring in the midst of an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct by him. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The ballet photo-sharing scandal enters a new phase in court. This story has been shared 68,073 times. The “SVU” episode, “Dance, Lies and Videotape,” shown Thursday night, seemed to be loosely modeled on an incident at New York City Ballet. Mr. Ramasar’s girlfriend, Alexa Maxwell, a member of the corps de ballet at City Ballet who was the subject of the sexually explicit photos Mr. Ramasar had shared, defended his role in the show and said she had forgiven him. Though just 20, the New York City Ballet corps dancer exudes an easy confidence. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights The real-life... Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The former New York City Ballet dancer who sent intimate photos of his girlfriend to others presents himself as a victim in a new court filing. September 15, 2018 | 4:14pm | Updated September 16, 2018 | 12:04pm. Finlay — who resigned from NYCB last month — then sent some men in the group, including Ramasar, photos and video clips of their sexual encounters that he’d secretly recorded, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit states. The photo-sharing scandal, along with the retirement of Peter Martins, the company’s longtime leader, amid an investigation into reports of physical and emotional abuse (reports that he denied), helped spark a reassessment of the culture at City Ballet. Ramasar wrote to his former New York City Ballet colleague Chase Finlay. Finlay’s actions, as alleged, in secretly taking and then disclosing intimate images of Waterbury without her knowledge or consent, are deplorable,” Judge d’Auguste wrote, but he dismissed six out of seven of her claims against him, including assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A spokesman for the company, Rob Daniels, said in a statement that City Ballet was “pleased that the court recognized that the company bears no responsibility in this matter.”. “We will not allow the private actions of a few to undermine the hard work and strength of character that is consistently demonstrated by the other members of our community or the excellence for which the Company stands,” NYCB Executive Director Katherine Brown and Interim Artistic Team leader Jonathan Stafford said in a joint statement. A group of protesters showed up outside the theater for several nights, demanding that Mr. Ramasar be fired from the show because of the sexual misconduct allegations against him. The woman, Alexandra Waterbury, had sued her ex-boyfriend, Chase Finlay, saying that he had sent sexually explicit photos and short videos of her, taken without her knowledge, to others affiliated with the company. But because Ms. Waterbury was never a student or employee of City Ballet — and she was not a student at the school at the time of the “unconsented-to recordings” or text exchanges — the judge found that the company did not shirk responsibility and dismissed claims of negligence against it. The suit described a … “Firstly, I want to clarify that I did not initiate, was not involved in, or associated with any of Alexandra Waterbury’s personal material that was allegedly shared with others,” his statement says. The New York City Ballet abruptly fired two high-profile dancers accused of shamelessly swapping surreptitiously-snapped, sexually-explicit photos of … By sex-based scandal, uh, we mean photo scandal currently rippling through ballet. Some women in the company made it clear to management that they would not be comfortable dancing with the men who were involved in the text exchanges, but in spring 2019, Mr. Ramasar was back onstage. In a decision released late Friday night, Judge James Edward d’Auguste, of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan, dismissed all claims against the ballet company and school, as well as those against Mr. Ramasar and Mr. Catazaro. Furthermore, Waterbury alleged that New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet knew about this misconduct, or should have. Two male principal dancers were fired by the New York City Ballet Saturday morning after they were cited in a lawsuit for allegedly trading explicit photos of female ballerinas. Two male principal dancers were fired by the New York City Ballet Saturday morning after they were cited in a lawsuit for allegedly trading explicit photos of ballerinas. Two male New York City Ballet principal dancers have been fired after they were accused of sharing explicit photos of female ballerinas. “Ms. Former New York City Ballet dancer Chase Finlay claims his ex-girlfriend's bombshell lawsuit alleging he shared revenge porn was a publicity stunt. A lawyer for Ms. Waterbury, Jordan K. Merson, said in a statement that he disagreed with the court’s interpretation of the law in the decision. Protesters outside the Broadway Theater in New York hand out fliers to passerby asking them to support Alexandra Waterbury, who called for Amar Ramasar to be removed from the “West Side Story” cast, Jan. 31, 2020. In 2018, as a result of the photo-sharing scandal, City Ballet fired both Mr. Ramasar and Mr. Catazaro. Article. Two male principal dancers were fired by the New York City Ballet Saturday morning after they were cited in a lawsuit for allegedly trading explicit photos of ballerinas. The only legal claim that survived was one against Mr. Finlay that says he violated a city administrative code prohibiting unlawful disclosure of an intimate image. Chase Finlay at a City Ballet gala in 2017. In response, Ramasar reportedly sent back a picture of a ballet dancer’s breasts. Two male principal dancers were fired by the New York City Ballet Saturday morning after they were cited in a lawsuit for allegedly trading explicit… Her lawsuit said that Mr. Longhitano had participated in the exchange of “lewd, degrading and demeaning text messages about ballet dancers,” and that he once texted Mr. Finlay, “I bet we could tie some of them up and abuse them like farm animals.” The judge dismissed Ms. Waterbury’s claim of negligence against him. This state may have its own highly contagious homegrown COVID strain, Bridget Moynahan reacts to ex Tom Brady clinching Super Bowl 2021 berth. The suit cited the company, its school and dancers in a case that described “a fraternity-like atmosphere” at the ballet. The company determined the ballet stars — though not named as defendants in the suit — should be fired after conducting an investigation and weighing community concerns. And you thought “Black Swan” was messed up. Your California Privacy Rights In 2018, two principal male dancers were fired after they were accused of sharing texts of sexually explicit photos of women, including of Ms. Waterbury. We've received your submission. Barring a successful appeal from Ms. Waterbury, the decision means that New York City Ballet, as well as Mr. Ramasar and Mr. Catazaro, has been removed as defendants from the lawsuit. The Guardian noted that Peter Martins, the artistic director of New York City Ballet, had retired just weeks after allegations of physical and sexual assault were made against him in … “Although I was initially suspended for other private and personal communications, the NYCB dancers’ union — AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) — maintains that these communications were during off-work hours, and do not justify termination.”, He argued that this “could happen to anyone, in any profession, when personal and private communications are involved” and insisted he wasn’t trying to “harm or embarrass anyone.”. They are the raw material, inspiration and institutional memory on which choreographers rely. They carry within themselves the technique, knowledge, steps and understand to bring countless works of art alive. Another defendant who was effectively dropped from the case by the judge’s decision was Jared Longhitano, who is described in Ms. Waterbury’s lawsuit as a junior board member at City Ballet. Her ex-boyfriend remains a defendant. The New York City Ballet family mourns the passing of Sara Leland, a long-time member of the Company who joined NYCB in 1960 at the invitation of George Balanchine. Ramasar told the New York Times, “In the days ahead, I will be telling my story.”. Key points: He hopes the union will help get his contract reinstated. Catazaro, in a statement to Broadway World, said he is “deeply saddened” by his termination and argued that he never saw any photos of Waterbury. Thanks for contacting us. Who is Brittany Galvin, 'The Bachelor' woman accused of being an escort? Waterbury will continue to fight to protect New Yorkers from going through what she has,” he said in the statement. 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