San Francisco Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” will indeed premiere Friday night, as the ballet dancers union and SF Ballet have struck an 11-hour work agreement to guarantee the Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance.
The day before Thanksgiving, we were all on edge with the disconcerting news that SF Ballet’s dancers might go on strike. This potentially led to the cancellation of the first performance of The Nutcracker, and the possibility of many more performances being canceled as long as the strike continued. At that point, there were only 10 days until the opening night show was scheduled to rise on Friday, December 6th.
But just one day before its 2024 premiere, the union representing the dancers announced that it had entered into a tentative labor agreement with SF Ballet, and “The Nutcracker” will be shown on Friday nights at 7 p.m. It was scheduled to open. That union is the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), which issued a statement Thursday afternoon.
“AGMA is pleased to report that we reached a tentative agreement (TA) with San Francisco Ballet on December 5,” the union said in a statement. “Although the agreement is still pending, the artists at SFB (SF Ballet) are looking forward to launching the Nutcracker season, which attracts nearly 100,000 visitors each year, starting December 6th.”
We are thrilled to have reached a respectful and fair interim agreement with SF Ballet’s world-class dancers and stage managers. From December 6th to 29th, we look forward to welcoming you to the Opera House for the magical tradition of The Nutcracker. https://t.co/MixkSBmzLB pic.twitter.com/0Mc0dzWf7z
— San Francisco Ballet (@sfballet) December 5, 2024
This version of events was confirmed by SF Ballet, which made its own announcement Thursday afternoon.
“We are very pleased to have reached a respectful and fair tentative agreement with San Francisco Ballet’s world-class dancers and stage managers,” San Francisco Ballet Executive Director Branislav Henselman said in a statement. ” he said. “SCIENCE FICTION The company’s exemplary artists have a strong vision for the future of the art form and continue to develop the tradition and artistry of the nation’s oldest ballet company, which is why I joined the company. We agree on the advancement of dancers and stagehands and the sustainability of the system. We are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement with mutual respect and dedication to reaching the Nutcracker, an annual San Francisco holiday tradition beloved by audiences and artists alike. We are excited to celebrate by starting the season.”
This was truly an 11th hour trade. The dancers’ contracts remained until December 6, the opening day of the show, and once their contracts expired, the opening night would have been canceled. The new agreement is retroactive to July 1 of this year and appears to meet union demands for better pay and safer conditions.
The agreement is still preliminary and is expected to be approved by dancers and the AGMA Board of Directors by December 16th.
Either way, SF Ballet’s most popular production of the year, The Nutcracker, opens on Friday, Dec. 6 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 29 at the War Memorial Opera House. Click here for tickets.
Related: No “Nutcracker” this year? SF Ballet labor dispute threatens popular annual show (SFist)
Image: SF Ballet
