Dallas Black Dance Theatre has launched an advisory stakeholder task force.
The task force hosted its first meeting on March 25 and will convene monthly to eventually put forth recommendations about its policies, fundraising, governance and engagement with employees.
The news comes after the dance company reached a settlement for over $560,000 with the National Labor Relations Board in December to compensate 10 fired dancers and three whose offers of employment were rescinded.
Following the settlement, Dallas City Council cut about $248,000 in funding for cultural programming from the dance company for its 2024-25 year, which spans from last October to this September.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre is eligible to apply for cultural organizations program funding for the 2025-26 year, according to a spokesperson with the city of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture.
Georgia Scaife, president of DBDT’s board of directors, said the task force is an effort to ensure transparency and accountability.
“The board of directors for Dallas Black Dance Theatre recognized the need to proactively evaluate our current policies, practices and procedures, and learn from our experiences because we also know we needed to strengthen the community trust,” she said.
The task force will be led by co-chairs Shawn Williams, vice president of public affairs at Allyn Media, and Jennifer Scripps, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas, Inc. and former director of the city of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture. Williams said he was eager to join the task force after being contacted by one of DBDT’s board members.
“First off, I’m a huge fan of Dallas Black Dance Theatre,” he said. “Because of how important I feel that Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to the city, and really throughout the country, I really want to be part of making sure that they [are] able to continue the success they’ve had over the years.”
Williams said the task force has requested to review DBDT’s handbook and a report from the Inspector General Division of the City Attorney’s Office about the timeline of events at DBDT leading up to the firing of the main company dancers last year. He said the task force will also look into the dance company’s current fundraising model, costs incurred by the dance company last year, ticket sales and plans for the 50th anniversary celebration.
Last year, North Texas union organizers, community members and Dallas City Council members spoke out against Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s treatment of its former main company dancers. Some called for a look into the governance of DBDT’s board members and dance company leadership.
Williams expressed confidence in DBDT’s leadership.
“The leadership in Dallas Black Dance Theatre has an excellent record over a long period of time. I don’t think that you could be in business as long as they have without having great leadership,” he said.
Last year, the NLRB found merit to dozens of unfair labor practice charges against the dance company. Those include the firing of 10 dancers due to union efforts, cutting off teaching opportunities through the company’s student academy, and dance company communication that threatened, restrained or coerced the dancers as they tried to unionize, according to a complaint from the NLRB.
The settlement signed by DBDT required either Executive Director Zenetta Drew, founder Ann Williams or board President Georgia Scaife to sign apology letters to the fired dancers. The dance company was also required to provide training to all managers.
Williams said the taskforce will also be looking into company leadership and governance.
DBDT leadership was involved with the recommendation of some task force members. In the initial March 25 meeting, Scaife said some DBDT board members, DBDT Executive Director Zenetta Drew and Interim Artistic Director Richard A. Freeman, Jr. were present. In the future, some meetings will include only task force members.
Williams said the task force is committed to remaining independent. While the task force will only offer recommendations, Scaife said the dance company is committed to acting upon the task force’s findings.
“We don’t want people to come in and do a thorough, deep dive of the organization’s policies, practices, procedures and then walk away and we do nothing,” she said.
Scaife said the task force will eventually publicize any outcomes or actions to be taken by DBDT based on the recommendations.
Other members of the task force will include:
- Harrison Blair, president and CEO of Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce
- Kardal Coleman, chairman of the Dallas County Democratic Party
- Levi Davis, former assistant city manager of Dallas
- Ella Goode-Johnson, former chair of the city of Dallas’ Arts and Culture Advisory Commission
- Quodesia Johnson, consultant, equity specialist and racial healing practitioner
- Mary Pat Higgins, president and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
- Steve Idoux, president and CEO of Lockton Dunning
- Derryl Peace, former director of alumni engagement at East Texas A&M University
- Andy Smith, executive director of Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation
- Miguel Solis, president at The Commit! Partnership
- Mary Suhm, former city manager of Dallas
- Mark Thompson, senior vice president at Visit Dallas
- Victor Vital, global chair of trial practice at Haynes Boone
- Carla Wattley, director of dance studies at Lancaster ISD
- Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward
Where labor talks stand now
In May of last year, former dancers unanimously voted to form a union with the American Guild of Musical Artists. So far, the dance company and union have yet to reach an agreement.
Griff Braun, national organizing director of AGMA, said he’s mostly concerned about eventually bargaining a contract for the new dancers.
“The main thing we want to see is a strong contract for the dancers,” he said. “What would signal to us that DBDT has kind of turned the page and is now a safe and supportive workplace for artists is an actual contract.”
Braun said the dance company and union have not started bargaining. Currently, he is in talks with new dancers to understand what they would want.
Terrell Rogers Jr. is a former DBDT dancer who was fired last year. He said he’s surprised to hear the dance company launched a task force when it has not yet come to an agreement for its new dancers.
Rogers wants to see the company negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with AGMA that ensures a living wage and benefits for dancers. In addition, he wants to see the company create a safer working environment for dancers.
“I’d like to see management reflect the values that the organization claims to stand on. I also still believe that this is the only way for DBDT to signal to the community that changes have been made to prevent what happened to us from happening to anyone else ever again. Otherwise, I fear DBDT will continue on this upward hill battle of trying to make this all go away,” Rogers wrote in an email.
Scaife with DBDT said the dance company is prepared to bargain fairly with AGMA.
“We are prepared and ready to sit down and bargain with them in good faith to negotiate an initial collective bargaining agreement for those employees,” she said.
DBDT aims to publish recommendations in late June or early July.
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