Abuse accusations: Basel ballet school shuts training division
Ballet schools in Zurich, Bern and Basel have all been accused by dancers of abuse
Keystone / Georgios Kefalas
The Ballettschule Theater Basel will close its vocational training division owing to serious accusations of student abuse. It says it can’t see itself managing to get out of its financial problems.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Español
es
La escuela de ballet de Basilea cierra su formación profesional por denuncias de abuso
The institutionExternal link has asked the cantonal department of education for permission to close the training course at the end of the current school year. It has also asked the canton to provide financial support for this, the school’s board said on Wednesday.
The school has faced financial difficulties for a while. It is now considering whether to continue with its junior and leisure activities.
At the end of October the NZZ am Sonntag and the Basel-based online news site BajourrevealedExternal link that more than 30 former students had spoken out about regular humiliations and insults during rehearsals. They also reported excessive pressure on performance, which resulted in broken bones and eating disorders.
The school’s board has commissioned an independent investigation and has suspended its director.
More
More
Swiss dance scene hit by another charge of abuse
This content was published on
Are harassment cases on the rise, or is the dance community more willing to risk breaking its silence?
The Ballettschule Theater Basel is one of two institutions in Switzerland that offer a professional apprenticeship for stage dancers with a federal certificate of competence. The other is the Zurich Dance Academy, which also faced similar accusations. The management has since withdrawn and an investigation has been launched.
The Bern Ballet is also facing accusations of abuse. Last month Bühnen Bern Ballet apologised for failing to protect members of its ballet group from sexual harassment.
More
More
What to do if sexual harassment happens to you
This content was published on
The discourse on sexual harassment in Switzerland has shifted from could this happen here to what should we do about it.
This content was published on
Switzerland, as a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), signed a free trade agreement with Thailand during WEF.
This content was published on
The federal audit office has criticised the Swiss government for poor planning of the procurement of six drones from an Israeli supplier.
This content was published on
The latest figures from the Federal Office of Public Health show that lab-confirmed cases dropped from nearly 2,340 to under 2,000 last week.
Swiss cities targeted by Russian hackers during WEF
This content was published on
Russian hackers have targeted canton Schaffhausen and the cities of Geneva and Sierre, paralysing their websites on Wednesday morning.
This content was published on
Paul Hottinguer, a member of one of Switzerland’s most famous banking families, will face trial in Paris for tax fraud and money laundering.
Swiss man who died in Iranian prison had photographed military site
This content was published on
The Iranian judiciary said that the Swiss man who died in an Iranian prison on January 9 had been detained for photographing a restricted military site.
Swiss researchers patent new device for avalanche detection
This content was published on
The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research said it has granted a group of Swiss researchers a patent for a device to enhance avalanche warnings.
Berset discusses ECHR climate ruling implementation at Davos
This content was published on
Switzerland has submitted a report on the court's ruling in Strasbourg. Berset told Justice Minister Beat Jans that the Council of Europe is reviewing it.
‘Alarming’ rates of sexual harassment and stress among Swiss apprentices
This content was published on
Some two-thirds of apprentices in Switzerland have experienced sexual harassment – one-third of whom say that it occurred on the job.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.