The New York Times reports that a two-month long internal investigation into sexual harassment and physical abuse allegations against Peter Martins, New York City Ballet's former ballet master in chief, has found that the accusations could not be corroborated. In December, an anonymous letter sent to NYCB and its affiliated School of American Ballet accused Martins of sexual harassment, although the claims were non-specific. Afterwards, several former dancers and one current company member came forward to the press accusing him of physical assault and verbal abuse. Martins, who directed the company for 35 years and has denied the accusations, retired on New Year's Day after taking a leave of absence. An interim team led by ballet master Jonathan Stafford has been overseeing the company in the meantime.
Ask the Paris Opéra Ballet, the New York City Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet to share a stage, with each performing one act of Balanchine's Jewels, and you might expect a degree of friendly (or less-than-friendly) competition. But as POB gave its exquisitely polite rendition of "Emeralds" during the Lincoln Center Festival's three-company production this summer, one-upsmanship seemed far from everyone's mind.
Then the curtain rose on New York City Ballet, its dancers visibly shaking with excitement in their "Rubies" finery. And the David H. Koch Theater audience collectively leaned forward.
Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB.
This story originally appeared in the August/September 2016 issue of Pointe.
You took a year off to perform on Broadway as Ivy Smith in On the Town. What did you learn from that experience?
If I'm not being classical I can be kind of a goofy dancer, so it was a good push for me. And dancing for a different audience, where it's purely based on how much fun everybody's having, takes the emphasis off being technically perfect. That was something I held on to a little too tightly before. I learned that just being me is enough.
What role do you find particularly challenging?
The Cuckoo Bird in Justin Peck's The Most Incredible Thing! He's very specific about the steps and the timing he wants—it's a whole new vocabulary for me. The costume has heavy wings that “whoosh" as you turn. During my first show I fell. Then the next show, I fell again. To get out there and try a third time after falling twice was a fun challenge, but a difficult one.
Fairchild in Balanchine's Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
