Washington Ballet's Italian Faux Pas De Deux

FLORENCE, Italy -- The Italians have a phrase for the Washington Ballet's cancellation of its summer tour to Italy: "Brutta figura." Or just "Figuraccia." Both mean doing something shameful, tacky, cutting a sorry figure, as in "Il Washington Ballet ha fatto una figuraccia."

It was not only the company's abrupt cancellation of its July performances at three Italian dance festivals that hurt. It was also the timing and the style, especially in a country and in an art where form matters. And even U.S. diplomats say that, given the political climate, the sudden withdrawal of a Washington institution from a European event can have implications beyond the dance world.

The mid-April cancellation upended a nine-day Italian tour that had been in the works since last fall, leaving festival organizers in Florence, Rome and Civitanova Marche with little chance of finding replacements because other comparable troupes have already made their own commitments. The Italian organizers are also left with the perception that the Washington Ballet didn't care about the fate and reputation of their festivals.

Echoing comments by the other jilted organizers, Keith Ferrone, a New York-born dancer and choreographer who organized the Florence Dance Festival, said, "I've never had a last-minute cancellation like this.

"We promoted the Washington Ballet as our centerpiece," he continued. "The worst part is the feeling they were not being sincere and they were undervaluing us."

Florence Dance Festival organizers Margo Nativo and Keith Ferrone are now missing their "centerpiece."

As reported April 13 in The Washington Post, Washington Ballet Executive Director Jason Palmquist, in announcing the cancellations, blamed failed negotiations with the dancers over the amount of per diem allowance they were to be paid for the tour. The dancers, represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), had asked for a daily amount close to the State Department rate of about $150 to cover meals and incidental expenses, such as laundry costs and phone calls.

Palmquist said that because the company was going to lose $90,000 on the tour, no additional expenses could be budgeted. The ballet company offered $55 a day, and when that was rejected, it offered the State Department per diem rate -- but with a comparable salary cut, which company representatives said would amount to a tax savings for the dancers. AGMA representative Eleni Kallas said yesterday that she had objected to this because some dancers are not paid enough to handle such a reduction.

Ferrone dismissed the idea that an allowance for food was an insurmountable roadblock. "I think we could have found some restaurants in town to help out," he said.

Kallas said yesterday that if management had offered the dancers meals provided by local establishments or the tour presenters, "I'm sure it would have been very strongly considered." AGMA filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company the day after the tour was canceled, alleging that it had bargained in bad faith, Kallas said.

Palmquist said yesterday that as a former vice president of the Kennedy Center, he is well aware of the complications the company's pullout has caused the Italian presenters. The Washington Ballet also canceled a tour to Italy in 2004 because of financial constraints, which made preserving this year's tour even more important, he said.

"We did let the Italians know that we were going through a process but that we were all very hopeful that we would be able to come to an agreement, and we were willing to proceed under that assumption," Palmquist said.

"I can tell you categorically that we were absolutely committed to going to Italy but that we couldn't in good conscience lose any more money," he continued. "It was the rejection of the per diem proposal that ultimately forced our hand."