IT’S ‘S LAKE’ ATA THE NY YC BALLET
#MeTutu! I was sexually exploited by abusive ‘frat boy’ dancers
And you thought “Black Swan” was messed up.
The New York City Ballet is a “breeding ground for sexual exploitation” where male dancers and staffers traded explicit photos of ballerinas — and one benefactor suggested tying up “girls” so they could “abuse them . . . like farm animals,” a new lawsuit alleges.
Student dancer Alexandra Waterbury, 20, made the explosive claims Wednesday in a suit filed against the ballet company and ex-boyfriend Chase Finlay, who until last month was a principal dancer.
She alleges that he shared with other male dancers, employees and donors pictures and video clips of their sexual encounters that he had secretly recorded.
“You have any pictures of girls you’ve f--ked? I’ll send you some [hot] ballerina girls I’ve made scream,” she alleges Finlay, 28, wrote to other men in the company in September — prompting the ballet bros to respond with their own X-rated photos of troupe dancers, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit alleges.
The suit comes less than a week after the ballet company announced that Finlay and two other male principals — Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro — would not be performing in the upcoming season because of unspecified “inappropriate communications.”
Waterbury’s suit details thosee alleged exchanges in explicit detail.
She also claims Finlay participated in a group chat where a ballet benefactor suggested they “get like half a kilo [of cocaine] and pour it over the ABT girls and just violate them” — referring to the rival American Ballet Theatre..
Finlay responded with two “thumbs-up” emoticons, and the donor allegedly continued,, “I bet we could tie some of them up and abuse them . . . like farm animals,” the suit alleges.
“Or like the sluts they are,” Finlay allegedly responded.
In another text chat, he talked about recording and selling footage of Waterbury naked and performing sex acts, and in yet another, Finlay and another principal dancer bragged of their plan to “doubleteam” a particularly religious dancer and “leave her with no choice,” the suit alleges.
The lewd photo and video exchange became so widespread that while allegedly swapping snaps with Ramasar in May, Finlay replied: “Already seen that one, I know you have more.”
Waterbury told The Post she discovered the shocking texts and images on Finlay’s computer.
“These photos were the most embarrassing and degrading thing I have ever faced in my life. I never consented to or even knew that these photos had been taken let alone shared among the employees and patrons of the New York City Ballet,” said the dancer, who is also a Columbia University student and Wilhelmina model.
“Today and every day I will have to say very loudly and very clearly the notorious phrase: me too.”
Since news broke that Finlay, Ramasar and Catazaro were out of the company — her ex resigned while the other two were suspended — Waterbury said, “I received threats from random people telling me I had enemies now and how I’m a job-ruiner.”
Her suit also alleges NYC Ballet created an “out-of-control, fraternity-house, abusive and sexually charged environment” that emboldened the men “to disregard the law and violate the basic rights of women” by sweeping prior allegations of assault “under the rug.”
One principal dancer allegedly was sent to rehab “after law-enforcement became involved due to his substance abuse and domestic violence against a female corps member” — but he returned a week or so later and is still working there.
Another twisted twinkle toes was accused of raping a female soloist, but kept his job “without any repercussions or discipline.”
“This incident and the company’s lack of response was well-known and discussed throughout New York City Ballet,” the suit alleges.
Finlay partied so hard that one program director often noted he reeked of booze but the company “buried its head in the sand,” Waterbury alleges. “On a recent trip to Washington DC, several [NYC Ballet] members . . . including . . . Finlay were fined over $150,000 for destroying a hotel room at a party they hosted with underage girls to whom they provided and plied with drugs and alcohol,” the suit claims. The company’s longtime ballet master, Peter Martins, retired earlier this year amid allegations of physical and sexual abuse, which he denied. But Waterbury alleges that one of the former students, Craig Hall, was part of Finlay’s twisted texting circle. “I want to j--k off to watching u and Alex f--k lol,” he allegedly wrote to the then-principal dancer, according to the suit. “I can’t stop looking at Alex’s t--s lol.” Finlay’s attorney, Ira Kleiman, told The Post: “The complaint is nothing more than a mass of allegations that ought not to be treated as facts.” When asked if his client denied the allegations, Kleiman sasaid, “I’ll leave it at that.” The New York City Ballet denied it had “condoned, encouraged or fostered the kind of activity that Mr. Finlay and the others named have participated in, which were off-hours activities that were not known, approved or facilitated by NYCB.”
After learning of the allegations in June, the company says it “investigated them and found that the actions had violated the company’s norms of conduct, and immediate and appropriate action was taken.”
Waterbury hasn’t contacted police, but is still considering criminal charges, according to her lawyer, Jordan Merson.
The civil suit is intended to bring change to the ballet company rather than punishment, Waterbury said.
“Every time I see a little girl in a tutu or with her hair in a bun on the way to ballet class, all I can think is that she should run in the other direction because no one will protect her like no one protected me,” Waterbury said.
“Parents have the right to know before they send their children there.”
Ramasar, Catazaro and Hall on Wednesday did not return messages seeking comment.