The New York City ballet has fired two male dancers accused of exchanging sexually explicit photos and videos of women.<\/b>
\nNEW YORK (CBSNewYork) \u2013 The New York City ballet has fired two male dancers accused of exchanging sexually explicit photos and videos of women.
Former ballet student 19-year-old Alexandra Waterbury sued the ballet and her ex-boyfriend, dancer Chase Finlay, earlier this month. She alleges the ballet fostered a \u201cfraternity-like atmosphere,\u201d where Finlay and other male dancers, employee and donor shared the images without her consent.
\u201cI feel hopeless when trying to remember who I am because this has profoundly changed me as a person. I, myself, am lost,\u201d Waterbury told CBS2\u2019s Andrea Grymes in an interview. \u201cThese photos were the most embarrassing and degrading thing I have ever faced in my life.\u201d
On Saturday, the ballet announced that primary dancers Zachary Catazaro and Amar Ramasar have been fired following an internal investigation. Finlay resigned earlier this month.
In a statement, the ballet said the men \u201cengaged in inappropriate communications that, while personal, off-hours and off-site, had violated the norms of conduct that NYCB expects from its employees and were unacceptable.\u201d
\u201cWe have no higher obligation than to ensure that our dancers and staff have a workplace where they feel respected and valued, and we are committed to providing that environment for all employees of New York City Ballet. We will not allow the private actions of a few to undermine the hard work and strength of character that is consistently demonstrated by the other members of our community or the excellence for which the Company stands,\u201d the statement continued.
Waterbury told CBS2 that she and Finlay had been dating for about one year when she discovered the explicit images on his laptop. She said she had no idea they were taken.
Her lawsuit alleges the ballet was a \u201cbreeding ground for sexual exploitation and degradation.\u201d Waterbury and her lawyer say they do not believe hers is an isolated case.
Texts presented in the lawsuit not only include the images, but also messages reading \u201cI bet we could tie some of them up and abuse them \u2026 like farm animals,\u201d to which Finlay allegedly responded, \u201cOr like the sluts they are.\u201d
All of this comes after longtime New York City Ballet leader Peter Martins retired back in January amid a sexual misconduct investigation. He denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

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