(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) December 20, 2024—San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the union of the dancers and stage managers of the SF Ballet, have reached a two-year agreement retroactive to July 1, 2024. The agreement enabled the company of 84 dancers and three stage managers to raise the curtain on opening night of SF Ballet’s 2024/25 season, including the 20th anniversary performances of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker and the seven-program season that continues in January with story ballets envisioned by Tamara Rojo, SF Ballet’s Artistic Director, and Sir Kenneth MacMillan; a quartet of ballets by Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen; and works by innovative contemporary choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. The contract was approved by SF Ballet and ratified by AGMA’s Board of Governors on December 16, following approval by the dancers and stage managers.
After months of intentional negotiations, a process structured to better and more expeditiously create mutually beneficial solutions, SF Ballet leadership and the Union 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 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 agreement with mutual respect and dedication to reaching a consensus on dancers’ and stage managers’ advancement and institutional sustainability. We are excited to celebrate with a season that showcases the excellence of our company through works in contemporary and classical ballet and company premieres of works not often staged in the U.S.”
“Growing up attending SFB productions, I have long admired the artists of this company,” said Jeffrey Boyd, AGMA’s National Executive Director. “This Collective Bargaining Agreement is a testament to the solidarity of the dancers and stage managers of the shop. We look forward to continued collaboration with the company to ensure a thriving future for the artists, the institution, and the Bay Area.”
Highlights of the agreement include significant wage increases for company members, the addition of new ranks to the company to provide more opportunities for promotion and career advancement, guaranteed new health, wellness, and safety provisions, and provisions to address Stage Management workload.
The 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, and its commitment to pay equity and transparency.
About San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet is a leading ballet company and trailblazer in dance locally, nationally, and internationally. Performing, commissioning, and collaborating with exceptional artists in dance and across disciplines, SF Ballet balances an innovative focus on new and contemporary choreography with a deeply held dedication to the classics. SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet by cultivating creativity, bringing dance of the highest caliber to a wide audience, and providing exceptional training opportunities for the next generation of professional dancers in its world-renowned School.
Since its founding in 1933 as the first professional ballet company in the United States, San Francisco Ballet has been an innovator in the art form and an originator of beloved cultural traditions, from staging the first American production of Swan Lake to bringing an annual holiday Nutcracker to U.S. audiences.
About AGMA
The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) is the labor union of singers, dancers, staging staff, and faculty, staff, and instructors in opera, ballet and concert dance, and concert choral performance in the United States. A national union with a membership of 7,000 artists, AGMA provides forceful advocacy and defense of its members’ employment and artistic rights. AGMA negotiates and enforces 70 collective bargaining agreements throughout the country, ensuring fair and safe working conditions and enhancing the quality of life of its members. AGMA has a direct charter from the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO Branch of Associated Actors and Artists of America and the Department for Professional Employees (DPE). AGMA is also a part of the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG).