DALLAS — Ten members of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre troupe were fired Aug. 9, 2024, after they joined the American Guild of Musical Artists, a union that represents dancers. They launched a fight, including mounting popular protests at shows using nonunion dancers, winning far-reaching support from other performers, the union movement and others.
The dancers also filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. The Dallas City Council cut some $248,000 in funding to the theater for the 2024-25 season because of the firings. As a result, the dancers won a $560,000 settlement from the bosses, as well as a public apology by the theater’s board of directors.
The dancers had planned to hold two special performances to raise strike funds Dec. 18-19, 2024, but turned it into a celebration. Both performances sold out. Afterward, none of the dancers decided to return to the company, saying they needed to move on. They also said, “The fight for accountability and justice at Dallas Black Dance Theatre is far from over.”
This August, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre finalized a union contract with a new troupe, their first collective bargaining agreement. It runs through 2029. Griff Braun, American Guild of Musical Artists national organizing director, helped to negotiate the agreement.
“We understand the significance of this moment and the path that brought us here,” the dancers on the negotiating committee said in a written statement. “We’re proud to have negotiated a first contract that provides meaningful protections for today’s dancers while strengthening the company for those who will come after us.”
The contract guarantees employment to at least 12 performers in the main troupe for at least 41 weeks a year, increases wages with built-in raises, and a seniority-based wage scale. It also guarantees health insurance and retirement contributions and strengthens parental, personal and sick leave.
The contract goes into effect Aug. 17 when dancers report for the start of the 2026-27 season.