UPDATE: Individual Rockettes who don’t want to perform at the Inauguration no longer have to. Except maybe some do? It’s confusing. More here and here.
Last night I announced I would be starting a new series of posts devoted to ways we all can Resist Trump Every Day in our own little ways. In this, the first installment, I’d like to draw your attention to a small protest with a great symbolic power.
As you may already know, Trump’s people have been having trouble finding big name acts to perform at his inauguration — though they have managed to snag an 80s cover band called The Reagan Years. No, really.
So when Trump’s party planners signed up the Radio City Rockettes, the legendary high-kicking dance troupe, there must have been some big sighs of relief in the Trump camp.
At least until some of the Rockettes said hell no, we won’t go. And their union, according to media reports, replied by telling them that hell yes, they have to go.
According to Vulture.com,
many Rockettes dancers, who share in a Broadway community that vehemently opposes Trump, do not feel comfortable performing at the event. Now, Broadway World has obtained an email reportedly from the American Guild of Variety Artists, the union that represents the Rockettes, suggesting that full-time employees will be coerced into performing, whether or not they object.
Lovely.
Per the site, the aggressively worded email from “a high-ranking member of the union’s administration” says: “We have received an email from a Rockette expressing concern about getting ‘involved in a dangerous political climate’ but I must remind you that you are all employees, and as a company, Mr. Dolan obviously wants The Rockettes to be represented at our country’s Presidential inauguration, as they were in 2001 & 2005. Any talk of boycotting this event is invalid, I’m afraid.”
As Amanda Duarte, a writer and performer who has taken the Rockettes’ case to social media, has observed, this is a pretty Trumpian situation indeed.
“It’s perfect, actually,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
What could be more fitting for this inauguration than forcing a group of women to do something with their bodies against their will?
Duarte is encouraging people to contact the show’s producers as well as the American Guild of Variety Artists and the Madison Square Garden Company to express their support for all of the Rockettes who want to boycott Trump’s big party.
Email the producers directly:
[email protected]
[email protected]Call AGVA (American Guild of Variety Artists)
as well
212-675-1003
make sure you express that if a Rock does not wish to perform, she shouldn’t have to and there should not be a repercussion.
Be firm, but polite. Help the boycotting Rockettes to just say no to Trump.
Or, just go and perform, but instead of dancing take a giant shit on the stage.
Done! (Email at least…will try to call later.)
Bingo. We already know he has a thing for legs. And he’ll probably try to grab each and every one of their crotches, too.
Gonna e-mail in support of the Rockettes, ASAP.
OT, I haven’t been getting my email notifications of new posts. This started yesterday, I think? I tried re-signing up this morning, but I didn’t get notified of this post either.
Here’s what I wrote just now:
I hope someone’s listening.
That’s a great letter, Bina.
How many Rockettes are there? A couple dozen? There has to be a routine that could be performed only by the members who support/tolerate Trump.
Honest question:
The company (and union?) seems to be of the opinion that performing at a Presidential inauguration is an apolitical act. The email stated that:
If, for the sake of argument, we accept the company’s position, is it within the rights of the company to terminate the employment of dancers who refuse to dance at the inauguration (since, if we accept that position, the dancers are refusing to work, and thus are potentially calling a strike without union approval)?
(Which is not to say that I agree with the company’s response; it’s pretty shitty to immediately reach for the pink slips at the first sign of dissent.)
And if we reject the company’s position that performing at an inauguration is an apolitical act, is there any protection that the law affords to the dancers, with regards to their political speech and their continued employment?
(Of course, an outpouring of public scorn and opprobrium for the company’s treatment of these dancers would probably also help to change the company’s mind about this matter.)
All the posts on the topic I’ve seen on Twitter today were aggressively spammed by Trump supporters comparing it with refusing to bake a cake for gay weddings.
I don’t even know how to answer, the comparison fails on so many levels just dismissing it would take way more than 144 characters.
And if it did work, then why wouldn’t they defend their right like they did with the bigoted baker?
We need a new, named internet law for the knee-jerk comparing of any conscientious objection to “refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding.”
The dumbest thing about the “Argle bargle GAY CAKE” reflex is that the main issue wasn’t even the damn cake. It was the bakers doxxing the couple for the death penalty crime of being gay in their general vicinity and cheering on the resulting homophobic death threats.
Now it’s occurring to me to worry about the safety of the female non-political White House employees. Like people who do administrative work, clean the building, prepare and serve food etc.
@Bina Excellent point re: Mr. Grabby Hands!
I couldn’t find a way to leave a message for the appropriate person. And when I called back, the line was busy. The outgoing message does mention a direct number — that might be the way to go.
I did send emails to all three addresses:
The Rockettes . . .
. . . shouldn’t have to perform for the presidential inauguration. Anyone who wishes to opt out should be allowed to, with no repercussions.
I don’t know about you, but I plan to resist the Trump presidency in every way possible, or else he’ll kill us all.
“The Aristocrats!”
@David Rutten
That sounds like a good idea. Alternatively, they should perform black metal. Or read a protest letter to Trump. In any case, going there and doing something entirely different is, i think, far more effective.
Looks like the complaints might be getting through. Somewhat.
So they’re having a 16-year-old opera singer instead? Oh joy. I don’t suppose she’ll actually be within ten feet of him at any point, but I find the symbolism troubling.
Patricia
If a Rockette does wish to perform for a sexual jerk,she shouldn’t have to, isn’t it unlawful to force someone to do a job against their beliefs? There should be no repercussions against any woman who says no!
Uh… shouldn’t their union be the last people telling them they have to do it?
This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about that. What can we do to help protect these women/make sure they have decent recourse in the event of an assault?
@Karalora,
Ah, it’s not just me then. The last three haven’t popped up in my inbox.
Snopes says this is false.
http://www.snopes.com/2016/12/23/rockettes-performance-at-trump-inauguration/
@Jurgan
It’s more of an update, isn’t it? The Snopes page reports that the management of the Rockettes has contradicted the union’s email and stated that no Rockettes will be forced to perform. There’s no suggestion that the initial message from the union didn’t happen.
Thanks to everyone who emailed! Due to the internet attention this got, it looks like those who don’t want to perform won’t have to, except for some who still might have to? I added links at the top of the post.
On the email notifications thing, I’m not sure what’s going on. There were some technical glitches with some of the other automatic publicizing functions yesterday but they seem to have fixed themselves. This may be related, or it may not. I’ll check into it.
I just added a couple more posts; could those of you getting email notifications let me know if you got notifications for them? Thanks!