By Savannah Eadens

17 October 2019

This weekend’s Louisville Ballet production — a three-bill performance called “Serenade + at High + Velocity” — will feature a dance designed by the company’s newest addition and first-ever female resident choreographer, Andrea Schermoly. 

Before 2018, the Louisville Ballet company did not have designated positions for resident choreographers but did hire female choreographers for dozens of shows. So, while Schermoly is not the first woman to ever choreograph a show at Louisville Ballet, she is the first official resident choreographer, a yearslong contracted position with the company that includes consistent commissions and collaboration. 

It’s a high-profile gig in a male-dominated industry. 

Schermoly’s choreographed dance, “at High” — accompanied by a live orchestral performance of Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony — is not her first work with the Louisville Ballet. She choreographed the company’s performance of Martha Graham’s “Appalachian Spring” in February and has been involved in previous years of the Choreographer’s Showcase. 

Before her dancing career was ended by an injury and she began choreographing in full force, Schermoly danced professionally for the Boston Ballet Company and the Netherlands Dance Theater, and trained at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg, where she grew up.

Read the full article on USA Today’s Courier Journal.

By Sarah Kaufman

10 April 2019

Ballet eminences across the country hailed the news this week that Suzanne Farrell, the celebrated ballerina and choreographic inspiration to …

Read the full article in The Washington Post.

By Laurie Ruettimann

3 October 2019

Nobody goes looking for a meeting with HR. That had always been Maya’s thinking. Even after she was sexually harassed by wealthy board members on the job, rather than report the incidents to the human resources department, she did what so many employees do — she tried to manage it.

“I side-stepped hugs and squeezes, redirected conversations when it turned to my appearance, and politely ask not to be called ‘doll’ or ‘kitten,’” said Maya (whose name has been changed for this story).

However, when a board member made sexual advances to a college intern on her team, Maya felt differently. She was compelled to report the incident to HR.

Unfortunately, the harassment investigation lived up to Maya’s low expectations. Nobody offered a timeline or shared updates. It was unclear who, if anyone, outside of HR knew about the accusations. University leaders grew cold and distant, but Maya wasn’t sure if they were reacting to the investigation or if she was paranoid. Eventually, the stress drove her to resign.

Maya’s story is not uncommon. In my work as a human resources consultant, people come to me with questions about the intricacies of sexual harassment investigations. How does it work? Who is responsible for what? When does HR manage this process, and when is it handled externally? Can you report your boss and remain confidential?

The answer to all of those questions is this: It depends.

Read the full article on Vox.

By Joseph Carman

14 May 2014

Ballet has a lily-white reputation.

The great “ballet blanc” works glorify white swans, white shades, white wilis and white sylphs. Still, in 2014, balletgoers might expect some progress in racial diversity onstage, especially in the U.S., where populations of color are growing. But comb the rosters of most American companies and you’ll find a striking sameness. While a few have established inclusive policies in training and hiring, they are the minority. There is a notable exception—Asian and Asian-American dancers have made real inroads. However, dancers of other ethnic backgrounds continue to face challenges, especially women.

Many factors contribute to ballet’s lack of diversity: economic inequality—ballet training is notoriously expensive; a lack of role models for aspiring dancers to emulate; a failure on the part of schools and companies to provide support for young dancers of color on the uphill road to professional success. And another factor looms large in the discussion: Many believe a thread of racism still runs through the ballet world. “There are people who define ballet in a very specific and historic sense and think it should look like the Mariinsky in 1950,” says American Ballet Theatre executive director Rachel Moore, who last year launched the company’s Project Plié, an initiative to support the training of ballet students from underrepresented communities.

Read the full article in Pointe.

By Kim Bellware

23 September 2019

With her first Emmy in hand, actor Michelle Williams got right down to business with her acceptance speech at Sunday’s award show: believe women and pay them fairly — particularly women of color.

The 39-year-old actor took fewer than 290 words to articulate her message and drew a standing ovation.

“The next time a woman — and especially a woman of color, because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white male counterparts — tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her, believe her,” Williams said. “Because one day, she might stand in front of you and say thank you for allowing her to succeed because of her workplace environment and not in spite of it.”

Read the full article in The Washington Post.