On Silhouettes’ 2014-2015 production “The Nights”:
Silhouettes Dance Company wishes to sincerely apologize for the lasting hurt that the production “The Nights” has caused. “The Nights” was the theme for Silhouettes’ 2015 show and was conceived based upon the 8th-14th Century Middle Eastern folktales: 1001 Nights. This theme, along with the costume selection, dancer selection, and certain conducts throughout the year in building the show, were culturally insensitive and appropriative, and caused lasting distress for many members of the company. The environment and culture of Silhouettes which allowed for a production of this nature to take shape urges reflection on and investigation of the deeper issues of diversity, inclusion, awareness, and transparency within the company itself. Additionally, the fact that company members did not feel safe or comfortable speaking up about their concerns is incredibly disheartening and we hope that Silhouettes can grow to be a safe space for members of all backgrounds to openly discuss their opinions and have their voices valued. We hope that by addressing this, we can begin the process of making amends with all. We will actively encourage discussion around such concerns and work collaboratively with previous and future members and executive teams to reflect and improve upon company practices. The incident of 2015 has led us to the following thoughts:
Silhouettes will recommend the removal of Artistic Directors having sole input on annual show themes. This year, the show theme was a collaborative choice between the Artistic Directors and the rest of the executive team, and we believe that in the future the decision can be extended to the rest of the company. Inviting company members to take part in this process can allow more diverse and creative themes to come through. The decision on show themes is also one of the first to be made every season, and engaging participation in it can be extremely beneficial in building a sense of safety for members in continuing to voice themselves and provide input throughout the rest of the year. Furthermore, designing the show theme in itself is a fun process to participate in.
The role of a protagonist has been phased out of Silhouettes in recent years. Moving forward, we will recommend a more permanent removal of the protagonist role from Silhouettes’ show structure in order to showcase all dancers fairly. The removal of the protagonist role will help allow diverse and personal narratives to be more comfortably present.
The Artistic Directors and the executive team should invite feedback from company members throughout the year on various decisions. Safe and honest communication will be key in identifying concerns within the company as well as in creating transparency with executive functioning.
As the current Artistic Directors of Silhouettes, we will not be removing any footage of “The Nights” from our media platforms in order to place our apology in context and steer clear of intents of erasure. This decision is subject to change under the discretion of future executive/member advocacy.
Silhouettes will continue to reflect on experiences of past and current members and strive for changes that can make our company a safe and warm harbor for all members. The Artistic Directors of the 2014-15 season have also individually addressed “The Nights” in their respective apology statements.
2014-2015 Artistic Director: Alexa Chioran
2014-2015 Artistic Director: Caroline Davis