By: Valentina Cheng
Hundreds of dancers for the Paris Olympic opening ceremony threatened to strike after the “outrageous disparities” of pay between the performers. This action was called off once Paris Game organizers met some of their demands.
Unlike the usual indoor stadiums, this year, the ceremony is going to be held on the river Seine, in Paris. Although thousands of dancers and performers are meant to be lined up along the banks, angered by the imbalance of pay, the majority has threatened a walkout, which would disrupt an event watched by millions.
About 200 dancers interrupted rehearsal earlier in the week in protest, stopping and holding their fists aloft for eight minutes. Labor Unions complained that up to 300 dancers on a temporary contract had been treated unfairly compared to the full-time employees.
The SFA-CGT said that the dancers on temporary contract represent 10% of the 3,000 performers, according to “Paris Games opening ceremony dancers call off strike after reaching pay agreement.” Labor unions announced on Wednesday that they had reached a deal with the event organizers following a meeting as reported by Aurelien Breeden. As written in her article “Dancers Drop Threat to Strike During Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony,” “they reached a deal on one of the dancers’ main demands: increased broadcast royalties for the temporary contract dancers, who previously were going to receive far less than others.”
But this victory was incomplete. One of the main demands that wasn’t reached was the “increased housing and transportation stipends to ease the financial burden of dancers from outside the Paris region.” Labor unions have also started to worry about the dancers placed on the rooftops along the Seine, for they won’t have any particular protection from lead dust created by the 2019 fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/arts/dance/olympic-dancers-strike-opening-ceremony.html
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/07/24/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-dancers-strike#:~:text=Hundreds%20of%20dancers%20who%20were,%2C%E2%80%9D%20according%20to%20LE%20MONDE.