Photo Source: Lois Greenfield
Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians has chastised the Paul Taylor Dance Company and believes that the performance for this evening, March 13, may set a detrimental precedent for future shows at the cultural institution. The union plans to meet outside the David H. Koch Theater from 6 to 7 p.m. to leaflet audience members. A brass quintet will also perform two musical numbers at 6:30 p.m. on Lincoln Center's steps.
When it was first announced last year that the Paul Taylor Dance Company would not use live music, Tino Gagliardi, president of Local 802 met with John Tomlinson, the executive director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, to encourage the company to employ live accompaniment, but the suggestion was turned down. According to The New York Times, Tomlinson estimated the total cost for the musicians needed, at union rates, to be $450,000 to $500,000. The budget for the run was reportedly $1.5 million.
Gagliardi said in a release, "I firmly believe it is in the collective interest of everyone involved—the board of directors, the company and musicians—to ensure that we consistently offer the highest quality performance possible to our loyal and discerning audience members at Lincoln Center."
Local 892 submitted a letter to Lincoln Center Board Chair Katherine Farley, President Reynold Levy, and the center's board of directors, asking "for a commitment to mandate the use of live music for major performances in residence at Lincoln Center." The board has not responded to the letter.
This is not the first time union unrest has made its way to Lincoln Center. The Paul Taylor Dance Company was only able to rent the David H. Koch Theater because New York City Opera vacated the space amidst its own labor dispute last year.
