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NYCB's Firing of Zachary Catazaro and Amar Ramasar Determined "Wrongful and Unjust"

Ramasar and Catazaro, photos via Instagram

One of the country's top arbitrators has decided to reinstate Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro to New York City Ballet. The former principals were fired last fall for "inappropriate communications," namely graphic text messages.

The dancers' union, American Guild of Musical Artists, fought the termination, arguing that the firings were unjust since they related entirely to non-work activity. After a careful review of the facts, an independent arbitrator determined that the terminations were indeed "wrongful and unjust."

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News

The Dance Community Responds to NYCB's Firing of Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro

Ramasar and Catazaro, via Instagram

New York City Ballet fired principal dancers Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro on Saturday. Both had initially been suspended until 2019 for engaging in "inappropriate communications," while principal Chase Finlay, who was the instigator of those communications, resigned. (Although, in a statement on Saturday, NYCB made it clear they had decided to terminate Finlay prior to his resignation.)

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News

A Former SAB Student is Suing NYCB for Creating A "Frat-Like" Environment

Chase Finlay in Balanchine's Apollo. Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB.

Former School of American Ballet student Alexandra Waterbury, 19, is suing New York City Ballet and her ex-boyfriend, former principal dancer Chase Finlay.

Finlay resigned suddenly last week, and principals Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro were put on unpaid leave for the remainder of 2018 because of "inappropriate communications" of a "personal nature."

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Trending

Two New York City Ballet Principals Suspended, Another Leaves

Chase Finlay as Apollo. Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB.

New York City Ballet will be three male principals short this season. Due to "inappropriate communications," Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro have been suspended without pay until 2019, and Chase Finlay has resigned, effective immediately, according to The New York Times. (Finlay's name has already disappeared from the company roster on nycballet.com.)

A statement from the NYCB board chairman said they received a letter from someone outside of the company "alleging inappropriate communications made via personal text and email by three members of the company" that were "personal in nature." It added that the board's efforts to reach Finlay to even discuss the allegations were unsuccessful, which leads us to believe that it must have been quite a serious offense.

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Ballet Stars

Congratulations to NYCB's Newest Principal, Zachary Catazaro

Photo by Paul Kolnik, via Instagram

Zachary Catazaro is ending his New York City Ballet Fall 2017 season on a high note. NYCB's ballet master in chief, Peter Martins, announced Catazaro's promotion from soloist to principal on Oct. 12th, just before the company's evening performance.

Catazaro had a stand out season, making his debut as Prince Siegfried alongside principal Sterling Hyltin's Odette/Odile in Martins' Swan Lake. He also debuted in featured roles in Martins' The Red Violin and Jerome Robbins' In Memory Of... as well as George Balanchine's La Valse.

Catazaro, originally from Canton, Ohio, joined the company as an apprentice in 2007, and has quickly moved through the ranks.

Principal dancer Rebecca Krohn retired from the stage earlier in the season, and Robbie Fairchild is set to give his farewell performance with NYCB this coming weekend, so we can't wait to see Catazaro tackle his new rank (and the feature debuts that come along with it) in the coming seasons.

Carla Körbes in Residence at Vail

Carla Körbes and New York City Ballet's Zachary Catazaro rehearse at Vail in 2014. Photo by Erin Baiano, Courtesy Vail Dance Festival.

Pacific Northwest Ballet principal Carla Körbes announced in September of last year that she would retire at the end of the 2014–15 season—her last performance with the company will be on June 7. Fortunately for her fans, Körbes isn't quite finished dancing: She'll serve as an artist in residence at the 2015 Vail International Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado.

Festival director and former New York City Ballet principal Damian Woetzel is thrilled to have Körbes on board. “I shared the stage with Carla at New York City Ballet, and I've watched her grow up," he says. “She's ready to explore new things, and I'm happy to be able to give her that opportunity."

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