2 dancers in sex flap get jobs back
The New York City Ballet stepped on the wrong toes when it fired a pair of highprofile male dancers over a sex scandal.
An independent arbitrator restored principal performers Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro to their former positions with the venerable Manhattan cultural organization just seven months after they were canned amid allegations of swapping sexually explicit photos of unwitting female victims.
The ballet, while disagreeing with the decision to reinstate the two men, said it would abide by the arbitrator’s finding. The ballet “is gratified that the arbitrator upheld the company’s right to discipline the men, but still believes strongly that it was also within its rights to terminate Catazaro and Ramasar,” the company said in a statement.
On Friday, Catazaro hailed the ruling and announced his immediate departure from the city ballet.
“I feel vindicated knowing that the arbitrator has found NYCB’s decision to be wrong,” said Catazaro, 29. “As I continue my career elsewhere, I look forward to challenging myself as an artist and renewing my spirited passion for dance.”
Ramasar, 36, will return to NYCB after undergoing counseling regarding “the standards for his conduct,” the ballet company said in a statement.
“As I move forward, learning, and evolving, I am eager to once again dance amongst the colleagues I respect, doing the ballets I have held close to my heart for the past 18 years,” said Ramasar.
The two performers were fired after a lurid lawsuit filed by ballerina Alexandra Waterbury accused men affiliated with the company founded by legendary choreographer George Balanchine of secretly snapping and sharing lewd photos of unsuspecting women.