Dancing with the Burke Stars Postponed: Dancers Unite Against Toxic Work Environment

The mirrorball trophy isn’t shining so brightly now that Dancing with the Burke Stars has been postponed, and its future remains in jeopardy. 

Citing a toxic work environment, all of the professional dancers collectively agreed to waltz out the door during a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 1. 

What is particularly interesting about this, pro dancer Pierre Clark said, is how quickly the dancers, who came from a variety of states, showed their solidarity. These were the 12-plus dancers who were to have paired with local participants for the 7th annual edition of the show.

“We were literal strangers,” he said. “That tells you something. We had had enough. … We all exhaled a little when we made the decision, but we’re also still slightly holding our breath, waiting to see what happens.”

The annual event first became questionable after show producer Travis Stancil and his dance partner, Danielle Perez, were injured in a Jan. 15 two-vehicle accident that involved an alleged drunk driver. Stancil said his injuries left him and his partner unable to dance, but he would bring in other professional dancers to fill their two roles. 

Lingering issues from the accident, however, are playing second fiddle to the decision made by the professional dancers, who arrived in Morganton on Jan. 28 to prepare for the big event.

“We felt bad about putting the local stars in this position, but in the end, we had to protect our own (mental and physical) health,” Clark said.

This was not the first time Clark had danced with the annual production. After participating last year, he had told himself he would not dance again. He gave the production another chance when respected dancer Ellen Mihalick, a Rockette in New York, was brought in to help with the show’s artistic direction.

Clark has been a professional dancer for more than 20 years, having worked in three dance companies and performed on five cruise ships. 

He quickly realized that things had not gotten better, he said. The dancers were forced to work 12-hour workdays with few breaks and inadequate food. 

“It’s how he treats us as humans, not just dancers. I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Clark said.

Poor treatment is not the professional dancers’ only complaint. 

“We were all supposed to get a deposit upon arrival. That didn’t happen. After two days, I asked Travis about it but he said he had forgotten and I needed to remind him. I mean, this is his business. I shouldn’t have to remind him,” he said. Clark did eventually get his money but he said a few of the dancers went home without receiving any payment.  

Stancil did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

Money questions are also being asked by local residents. Christie Leonard of WNC Real Estate was a sponsor of the event last year, supporting a friend who was dancing in the production. While she has no regrets about helping her friend, she knew she would never give money for the event again. 

One of the local stars in the Catawba Valley event said they had raised $3,000 in sponsorship and sold 80 tickets. Whether a show will be staged in Burke County is unknown but this Catawba star said all of their fellow local competitors joined forces in the decision to not dance, even if the production is rescheduled. 

They went on to say the entire process was disorganized and inconsistent. Dance rehearsals would be canceled with little to no notice and rehearsal locations changed frequently. 

“We never knew where we were supposed to rehearse,” they said. “I’m so done living on his schedule.” 

This star feels lucky that they had not turned in their money from ticket sales. Still having those funds in an account meant they would be able to refund the ticket price. Not all of the local stars are that lucky. 

Some of the Burke County participants were also able to refund ticket purchases. The vast majority of tickets were sold by the individual local competitors. According to CoMMA Director Sharon Jablonksi, only 10 tickets had been sold through the venue. 

CoMMA did not become involved in any ticket sales until Stancil said the accident left him unable to sell his tickets as he intended.

“Anyone who bought one of those 10 tickets will get their money back if they make that request,” she said.

Neither CoMMA nor the City of Morganton is in any way a sponsor of the event. The municipal auditorium is a resource that can be rented by individuals and groups. Stance Productions paid a $1,000 deposit to hold the facility for the Feb. 10 event. No additional payments were made.

Jablonski said she has forwarded a revised contract with a proposed date to Stancil. As of Feb. 8, no signed contract has been returned. 

Angela Kuper Copeland is managing editor of The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595 or via email at angela@thepaper.media.