No fees for unions. (News).Dancers who've been hitting the audition circuit this spring probably know that many ballet companies Noun 1. ballet company - a company that produces ballets troupe, company - organization of performers and associated personnel (especially theatrical); "the traveling company all stayed at the same hotel" used to charge anywhere from $10 to $20 for auditions held in major cities such as New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The American Guild of Musical Artists The 'American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO (AGMA) is the American labor union that represents 8,000 opera singers, ballet and other dancers, opera Directors, backstage production personnel at opera and dance companies, and figure skaters. According to its website (www. issued a statement last November, however, warning them that any company that has negotiated an agreement with the union may not charge fees for auditions. Such fees have been common practice for several years now, and many companies used the money from fees to help pay for the expenses of renting a studio and hiring an accompanist and teacher for the audition class. But when union officials heard during a casual conversation about a fee for a company audition, the comment set off an investigation. "All of our contracts have a clause in them forbidding contributions to employers, either to get work or to keep work," says Deborah Allton, AGMA's national dance executive. "It's something that, in policy and contractually, we don't allow. We consider auditions a business expense, a part of operations, and that cost should not be borne by the dancer. In any other industry you wouldn't expect to pay a potential employer for the opportunity for an interview." In addition, Allton notes that the union considers charging no fee to be to a company's benefit, since it allows them to see the most dancers possible. Only companies that have contracts with the union are prohibited from charging the fee, but already dancers have noticed the difference. "Last year I had to pay for three out of four auditions," says Janice Meerman, a dancer who has been auditioning this spring in San Francisco. "This year I haven't paid for any yet." AGMA AGMA American Gear Manufacturers Association AGMA American Guild of Musical Artists AGMA Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (UK) AGMA Alliance for Gray Market and Counterfeit Abatement has been careful to follow up with its signatory sig·na·to·ry adj. Bound by signed agreement: the signatory parties to a contract. n. pl. sig·na·to·ries One that has signed a treaty or other document. companies to make sure that the policy is honored. Even so, although many companies have complied, as of press time the Web sites of at least two national-level AGMA companies were still advising dancers of a $10 fee for their spring auditions. Allton says, "We are asserting that under the contract, a company should not be charging any dancer to audition. We're having conversations with the companies. The process has been mostly cooperative." |
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