By: Vivian Tang

On July 24, dancers in France threatened to strike during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony because they were expected to line the bridges and banks of the Seine River on Friday for the opening ceremony.

Many dancers were angered by this, and their actions would affect the Olympics, being watched from all over the world.

Ghislain Gauthier, the secretary general of the C.G.T.-Spectacle, an umbrella union for performers, said it was unclear whether the organizers had followed rules governing work sites with risks of lead contamination.

“Normally, an expert laboratory has to come to evaluate the toxicity. We don’t know if that was done,” Gauthier said.

According to the New York Times, “About 200 dancers even briefly interrupted a rehearsal on the banks of the Seine in protest earlier this week, standing motionless with their fists raised in the air for the duration of their eight-minute routine.”

As a result, the Paris 2024 organizing committee said “The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be a unique moment of celebration and unity, and we are delighted that it will be held under satisfactory conditions for all those involved.”

The union was unsuccessful because of increased housing and transportation stipends to ease the financial burden of dancers from outside the Paris region, according to Aurelien Breeden.

Some labor unions are also worried that the dancers don’t have enough protection.