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| Natalie Portman's husband backs ballet director fired for discrimination | Natalie Portman's husband backs ballet director fired for discrimination |
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| Choreographer Benjamin Millepied has joined other top dance world figures to demand Lyon Ballet director is returned to post after dismissal for pregnancy discrimination | Choreographer Benjamin Millepied has joined other top dance world figures to demand Lyon Ballet director is returned to post after dismissal for pregnancy discrimination |
| Choreographer Benjamin Millepied, the husband of Natalie Portman, has signed an open letter calling for the reinstatement of a ballet director who was fired for pregnancy discrimination. | Choreographer Benjamin Millepied, the husband of Natalie Portman, has signed an open letter calling for the reinstatement of a ballet director who was fired for pregnancy discrimination. |
| Yorgos Loukos was dismissed as Lyon Opera Ballet’s director earlier this month. A hearing found that he had discriminated against 34-year-old dancer Karline Marion during her pregnancy and after her return from childbirth. The 67-year-old Greek was initially fined for the offence before a second tribunal ruled he should be fired. | Yorgos Loukos was dismissed as Lyon Opera Ballet’s director earlier this month. A hearing found that he had discriminated against 34-year-old dancer Karline Marion during her pregnancy and after her return from childbirth. The 67-year-old Greek was initially fined for the offence before a second tribunal ruled he should be fired. |
| However, an open letter requesting that Loukos return to his post has been signed by Millepied as well as many other influential names in the dance world including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek and Sylvie Guillem. The choreographers who signed, including Millepied, are threatening to pull their ballets from the Lyon repertoire if Loukos isn’t reinstated. The letter states: | However, an open letter requesting that Loukos return to his post has been signed by Millepied as well as many other influential names in the dance world including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek and Sylvie Guillem. The choreographers who signed, including Millepied, are threatening to pull their ballets from the Lyon repertoire if Loukos isn’t reinstated. The letter states: |
| “In this case, no one trade union rep can claim to represent all the staff concerned. The city, the region and the state must play their part in appeasing the conflict, the ego, the jealousy evidently at work in this situation. | “In this case, no one trade union rep can claim to represent all the staff concerned. The city, the region and the state must play their part in appeasing the conflict, the ego, the jealousy evidently at work in this situation. |
| “And if, as we think, the majority of dancers in the ballet vote in his favour, Yorgos Loukos should be able to complete his mission at the head of this company … if this demand isn’t met, the undersigned choreographers will have no option but to withdraw their work from the repertory of the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Lyon.” | “And if, as we think, the majority of dancers in the ballet vote in his favour, Yorgos Loukos should be able to complete his mission at the head of this company … if this demand isn’t met, the undersigned choreographers will have no option but to withdraw their work from the repertory of the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Lyon.” |
| The letter also criticises Marion. It points out that eight of 16 female dancers in the company have children, while more than 25 dancers were in the same situation formerly. “They have always had the opportunity to take their children and husbands on tour. Several of them have been given permanent contracts after the birth of their first child.” | |
| The letter may be especially awkward for Portman, who has recently been accused of grandstanding on the subject of women’s representation after she wore a dress to the 2020 Oscars ceremony featuring the names of female directors who had been ignored by the judges for this year’s best director award. The dress led to Portman being labelled a “fraud” by Rose McGowan, who posted a statement on social media that said: “Portman’s type of activism [is] deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work.” | The letter may be especially awkward for Portman, who has recently been accused of grandstanding on the subject of women’s representation after she wore a dress to the 2020 Oscars ceremony featuring the names of female directors who had been ignored by the judges for this year’s best director award. The dress led to Portman being labelled a “fraud” by Rose McGowan, who posted a statement on social media that said: “Portman’s type of activism [is] deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work.” |
| Portman responded with a statement defending her record in working with other female directors, saying: “I agree with Ms McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it. Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.” | Portman responded with a statement defending her record in working with other female directors, saying: “I agree with Ms McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it. Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.” |
| McGowan has since backtracked, writing on Twitter: “My critique should’ve been about Hollywood’s ongoing culture of silence. I realise that by critiquing someone personally, I lost sight of the bigger picture.” | McGowan has since backtracked, writing on Twitter: “My critique should’ve been about Hollywood’s ongoing culture of silence. I realise that by critiquing someone personally, I lost sight of the bigger picture.” |
| She added: “All voices, however spoken, are valid. Let’s all keep pushing boundaries in whatever way we can, it’s time to get loud.” | She added: “All voices, however spoken, are valid. Let’s all keep pushing boundaries in whatever way we can, it’s time to get loud.” |