The Cleveland Ballet’s Board of Directors has concluded its recent investigation of the numerous complaints made by dancers and staff, including reports of sexual misconduct by the former CEO.
In a release sent by the board, it discussed the findings of the investigation and the actions that have been taken.
“The Board took action to address a pattern of intimidation and retaliation against dancers and staff, numerous reports of sexual misconduct on the part of the former CEO, a toxic work culture, serious operational and financial irregularities and unauthorized self-dealing,” the board said in the release.
The board suspended CEO Michael Krasnyansky and Artistic Director Gladisa Guadalupe, the board said in a statement.
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“Early in the investigation, the Board suspended Mr. Krasnyansky and Ms. Guadalupe because of their overt and deliberate interference with the investigation through intimidation of staff members and dancers, in defiance of the Board’s explicit instructions,” the board said in a statement. “The Board suspended them immediately to preserve the integrity of the investigation, not as has been suggested, because of Ms. Guadalupe’s alleged dismissal of a community dance instructor because of her body size.”
Krasnyansky resigned after his suspension, and Guadalupe's employment was terminated, the board said.
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According to the board, at least 16 current and former company dancers have made accusations against Krasnyansky, alleging he either improperly touched them or sexually harassed them.
“The Board found these statements credible because, among other reasons, both current and former Company dancers and staff came forward, including those whose tenures at the Ballet did not overlap, suggesting that the misbehavior was longstanding; and reports from other dancers and staff who were not victims, but who witnessed his misconduct,” the board said in a statement.
During the investigation, the board said it saw a pattern of intimidation and retaliation in Krasnyansky and Guadalupe.
According to the board, there were reports of Guadalupe calling the dancers “moles” or “troublemakers” and saying that once the investigation was complete, “we will handle the troublemakers.”
Additionally, there was a proposal to lay off employees who were suspected of speaking to media outlets and altering dancers’ roles in "The Nutcracker" if they were suspected of cooperating with the investigation, the board said.
Financial irregularities were also discovered during the investigation, including the commingling of funds from the Ballet and the Cleveland School of Dance. Additionally, it was found that Ballet funds were used to pay for Krasnyansky’s and Guadalupe’s personal expenses, such as lodging, meals and car insurance, the board said.
These are just two of the numerous irregularities the board found.
The board said following this investigation, it has created plans to improve the Ballet and move past the incidents.
The Ballet hired Timour Bourtasenkov as the Artistic Director in place of Guadalupe, the board said. Additionally, board member Larry Goodman has stepped in as interim CEO.
“We are thrilled to be led by someone of Timour’s national and international stature as Artistic Director of Cleveland Ballet,” Goodman said in a statement. “A nationally recognized choreographer with numerous leading roles and awards from Japan to Paris to New York, Timour demonstrated how well he works with our talented dancers as he prepared them for our just-completed successful run of 'The Nutcracker.'”
The board said dancers will be back in the studio in February to start rehearsing for "Sleeping Beauty."
“The gut-wrenching turmoil created by the many inappropriate actions, their fallout, and the subsequent investigation over the past three months posed an enormous distraction for the Company,” Dr. Michael Frank, Chairman of the Cleveland Ballet Board, said. “Yet, our wonderful Cleveland Ballet dancers pulled together and gave our community some of the most memorable 'Nutcracker' performances ever. This is a true testament to the dedication of our dancers, whose beautiful artistry through 11 performances with strong crowds produced great reviews and sufficient revenue to keep the Company afloat when it needed it most.”
