"Former Washington Ballet dancer Stephen Nakagawa (who until recently gave himself the "MAGA former dancer" tag on his Instagram bio) was recently named as the new director of dance programming by Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the Kennedy Center. His appointment came after the entire staff of the renowned performing arts institution's dance department was unceremoniously fired by Grenell last month."
"Even though the 2025-26 dance program was contracted before Trump took over as board chair of the Kennedy Center, the administrative shakeup has led to dramatically slumping ticket sales, according to the Washingtonian. Germany's Stuttgart Ballet is scheduled to perform at the Opera House next month, which is currently between four and 19 percent sold. Shows later on in October for the Los Angeles troupe BodyTraffic at the smaller Eisenhower are only at 12 percent capacity."
""Big yikes," said the Kennedy Center staffer who supplied the numbers to the Washingtonian, adding that Grenell and the other Trump-approved Kennedy Center administrators don't seem to be the least bit concerned about the poor ticket sales. This upheaval comes as the Kennedy Center is pushing Trump's agenda "to reshape the center into a 'non-woke' entertainment destination.""
Stephen Nakagawa, a former Washington Ballet dancer who labeled himself a 'MAGA former dancer,' was appointed director of dance programming at the Kennedy Center by Richard Grenell after Grenell dismissed the entire dance department staff. Ticket sales and subscriptions plunged following the administrative shakeup, with Stuttgart Ballet tickets 4–19 percent sold and BodyTraffic at roughly 12 percent capacity. Subscription revenue reportedly fell about 50 percent, and Alvin Ailey moved performances to the Warner Theatre. The Kennedy Center is advancing a 'non-woke' agenda, and Nakagawa gained attention after writing a letter criticizing 'radical leftist ideologies in ballet.'
Read at Consequence
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