Dancer sues New York City Ballet on nude pics

A 19-year-old ballerina is suing New York City Ballet (NYCB) and a former senior dancer for sexually exploiting dancers.

Alexandra Waterbury alleges that Chase Finlay, who resigned last month, shared explicit photos and videos with other dancers, without her consent.

She says the "culture of brotherhood" has allowed dancers to exploit women.

NYCB denied the allegations. A lawyer for Mr. Finlay stated that the complaint was allegations and not facts.

Ms. Waterbury, who met with Mr. Finlay for a year, said she took pictures and videos of her without her knowledge while they were in a relationship, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in Manhattan.

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According to the trial, Mr. Finlay shared this content with two other main dancers – Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catazaro – in text threads allegedly full of misogynists.

Ms. Waterbury's lawsuit claims that although the photos were not taken at NYCB, the company's culture "emboldens [male dancers] to flout the law and violate the human rights of women ".

She alleges that these men "could do what they wanted to women, whenever they wanted" as long as it would happen in New York, "where executives and management could control it".

Mr. Finlay's attorney told PIX 11 News that "Mrs. Waterbury's complaint is nothing more than a mass of allegations that should not be considered facts." ".

In a statement, the NYCB said that it "vehemently refutes allegations that the company tolerated, encouraged or encouraged the kind of activity to which Mr. Finlay and the other appointees participated."

Mr. Ramasar and Mr. Catazaro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The statement added that NYCB took the "appropriate disciplinary action for the dancers involved" and refused to negotiate a payment with Ms. Waterbury 's lawyer as they have "no liability" in the case. case.

Ms. Waterbury says she informed the NYCB in June of the issue after discovering the explicit photos – including photos of other dancers – and texts on Mr. Finlay's mobile phone.

In a text cited in the lawsuit, Mr. Finlay allegedly shared a nude photo of Ms. Waterbury with other dancers, asking for other pictures of naked women and saying, "I will send you ballerinas that I'm I shouted ".

Both Ramasar and Catazaro were suspended last month without being paid for violating "standards of conduct," US media reported.

The prosecution also alleges that Mr. Finlay spoke to a donor about the violation of the dancers.

The funder reportedly said, "I bet we could attach some of them and abuse them as farm animals," to which Mr. Finlay would have responded, "or like the sluts they are."

Ms. Waterbury's lawsuit is not the first time that charges of sexual harassment have been brought against the famous ballet company.

In January, NYCB's longtime director, Peter Martins, announced his retirement as part of an investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct.

He denied the allegations that he was violent and violent towards the dancers. The company did not corroborate the allegations.

According to Ms. Waterbury's trial, this response showed that Mr. Finlay and other dancers could "abuse substances and degrade, belittle, dehumanize and sexually abuse women".

In an Instagram post posted on Wednesday, Waterbury said the #MeToo movement helped her find the courage to speak up.

"For women or victims there, know that you are not alone," she wrote. "Their time is up."

Ms. Waterbury studied at the NYCB's affiliated school, the School of American Ballet, from 2013 to 2016. She is currently a model and student at Columbia University.