FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) DECEMBER 5, 2024—San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet), SF Ballet Dancer Bargaining Committee, and American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), which represents the dancers and stage managers of SF Ballet, have reached a tentative two-year agreement retroactive to July 1, 2024, and enables the company of 84 dancers to raise the curtain on opening night of SF Ballet’s 2024-25 season with Nutcracker. The agreement is subject to ratification.
After five months of intentional negotiations, a process structured to better and more expeditiously create mutually beneficial solutions, SF Ballet leadership and the Dancers’ representatives came to a consensus on issues ranging from salaries, rest periods, and health and wellness to the number of dancers employed by the company.
“We are thrilled to come to a respectful and equitable tentative agreement with the world-class dancers and stage managers of San Francisco Ballet” said Branislav Henselmann, recently appointed Executive Director of SF Ballet. “The exemplary artists of SF Ballet, who continue to build upon the legacy and artistry of the nation’s oldest ballet company with a firm vision on the future of the art form, are the reason I joined the organization; I am delighted to say that we achieved this tentative agreement with mutual respect and dedication to reaching a consensus on dancers’ and stage managers’ advancement and institutional sustainability. We are excited to celebrate by launching our season with the annual San Francisco holiday tradition of Nutcracker, beloved by audiences and artists alike.”
The tentative agreement paves the way for further expansion upon the initiatives SF Ballet has undertaken over the past two seasons, including significant increases of the company’s holistic health, wellness, and professional development programs with a dedicated investment of funding, focus, and infrastructure that effectively doubled its size and scope. In addition, the company formalized salary bands that significantly increased the parity of wages for dancers to ensure pay equity and transparency, and provided professional development opportunities for dancers onstage, in the studio, and offstage.
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
San Francisco Ballet, led by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, is a world-leading ballet company and a trailblazing commissioner, collaborator, and presenter in dance. With a deep commitment to new and contemporary works and the classical repertoire, SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet, investing in commissions and acquisitions; presenting established and emerging choreographers with a breadth of viewpoints; uplifting dancers, artists, and creatives across disciplines; and cultivating the next generation of the world’s top dancers in its School.