Stephen White has been reinstated as producer of Dance Victoria following an emotional meeting that saw the old board of directors expelled.
Dance Victoria members voted 149 to 28 to elect a new board of directors during a special members’ meeting held Friday night.
The new eight-member board subsequently agreed to reinstate White, said Paul McNair, an incoming board member.
“It came down to the vision for the organization and the direction the membership wanted to take,” McNair said in an interview Saturday.
Meanwhile, Dance Victoria's executive director, Jason Dubois, said he has quit. "At this point I'm no longer working for the Dance Victoria Society," he said in a note to the Times Colonist.
Friday's special meeting was called after the previous board decided not to renew the contract of White, Dance Victoria’s executive director for 14 years.
In response, White’s supporters organized a campaign to get his old job back, culminating in Friday’s meeting. These supporters include Robert Milne — a past president of Dance Victoria who is also vice-president of Pacific Opera — and Mary Desprez, former general manager of the Belfry Theatre.
In a letter sent to members before the meeting, the previous board stated Dance Victoria parted ways with White because he is not a team player and had difficulty delegating duties to staff.
The letter stated: “It seemed to us that Stephen was acting as if Dance Victoria was his personal business, not a community asset with an elected board of directors.”
White did not respond to requests for an interview.
Colleen Gibson, former president of the Dance Victoria Society, said she is “disappointed” with the meeting’s outcome, but pleased her board voiced its concerns regarding White’s leadership. “Moving forward… there’s a huge necessity to collaborate. Our concern is that Stephen does not have that ability. He doesn’t play well in the sandbox,” she said.
McNair said the previous board had failed to communicate well with White regarding his performance. Performance appraisals for White and other staff members had not been undertaken for four years, he said.
“That kind of thing is essential,” McNair said, adding the new board plans to improve communication and undertake regular appraisals.
In its letter, the old board stated White had made “negative comments” about Dubois. Gibson said in an interview Dubois is “the biggest asset that the organization has.”
Before Dubois declared that he will step down, McNair had said the executive director will “absolutely” be retained under Dance Victoria’s new leadership.
Meanwhile, a new board president will be voted in on Tuesday.
McNair said the fact 180 people attended the meeting reflects Victoria’s strong support of Dance Victoria, which has brought such companies as Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and Ballet British Columbia to this city.
“This has been a phenomenal outpouring from the community. It just shows that people are highly invested in Dance Victoria,” he said.
