Novi Sad Ballet Dancers Sue SNP, Union Backs Them
The Association of Ballet Artists of Serbia backs Novi Sad ballet dancers who sued the Serbian National Theater over mobbing and wants dancers' retirement regulated by law.
The question that ballet dancers at the Serbian National Theater (SNP) recently posted on social media, “Who decides that we are no longer worth it?”, drew support from their profession on October 20. The Association of Ballet Artists of Serbia (UBUS), which describes itself as the only representative association in the country’s dance field, publicly sided with the Novi Sad dancers and sent demands to both the SNP management and the Ministry of Culture.
Why did SNP ballet dancers sue the theater?
The dancers filed a lawsuit with the Higher Court in Novi Sad against their own theater over mobbing, which they attribute to the Ballet’s artistic director, Aja Jung. Their strongest complaints concern how she treats ensemble members over 40.
On social media, the dancers also wrote: “They take away our chance to dance, but they cannot take away our right to speak.” They added that “art must not depend on anyone’s whim.”
What does UBUS say about the retirement of dancers?
In its statement, UBUS claims that SNP retired about ten ballet dancers and that the competent court ruled this unlawful. The statement does not name the court or give the date of the ruling. The association then describes the theater’s staffing policy:
“The Serbian National Theater has retired about ten ballet dancers, and the competent court rejected this practice as unlawful. This theater pursues a staffing policy with unclear criteria and procedures when it comes to the replacement of generations.”
According to the same statement, the results of recent auditions and the fact that some young Serbian dancers did not have their contracts renewed show that SNP’s staffing policy does not give enough attention to hiring and keeping artists trained in Serbia.
What does UBUS demand from SNP and the Ministry of Culture?
UBUS asks the SNP management to stop pressuring artists immediately, open a transparent dialogue and publicly explain the goals of its staffing policy in the ballet. The statement also says: “UBUS condemns any staffing decision made without dialogue among all interested parties.” It adds that no cultural institution may justify its operations by violating artists’ legal rights.
The Ministry of Culture is asked to reactivate the working group for the field of dance, whose work, according to UBUS, was halted without explanation, and to settle dancers’ retirement permanently through laws and bylaws. Negotiations with the state on a systemic solution, the statement says, have gone on for decades. UBUS sees the root of the problem there:
“The lack of adequate legal regulation governing the retirement of ballet dancers, which makes it harder for young dancers to find work, is one of the existential problems of the ballet profession.”
The association concludes that, without a law, employers act on their own initiative. At the time of publication, no response from the SNP management or the Ministry of Culture to these demands was publicly known.
