Royal Winnipeg Ballet under fire after resignation of entire Indigenous Advisory Committee
Posted February 19, 2025 5:59 pm.
Last Updated February 19, 2025 7:40 pm.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has come under fire following the resignation of its entire Indigenous Advisory Committee and it raises questions about the ballet’s ongoing commitment when it comes to reconciliation and its approach to include Indigenous perspectives.
On Friday, members of the Indigenous Advisory Committee announced their resignation, citing years of unfulfilled promises and a lack of meaningful impact on the organization’s decisions.
“The relationship I had with the staff and management at the time was very close and they were no longer there and I definitely noticed a shift,” said Co-founder Danielle Morrison, a lawyer and Anishinaabe advocate.
Morrison expressed frustration with the alleged tokenism she felt from the ballet’s current leadership, saying their advice and insights were ignored, despite being sought for strategic planning and program development.
“It was just RWB moving ahead with what they thought was reconciliation without actually engaging us,” said Morrison.
“It became very clear to me that there were some deeply ingrained attitudes towards Indigenous people that were problematic.”
The IAC was formed in 2018 to create a bridge between the ballet and Indigenous communities, but Morrison claims they found themselves increasingly sidelined, saying the committee’s role dwindled down to a symbolic gesture.
“If you’re really going to look at increasing representation, you have to make structural changes and that’s why we wanted board-level representation because we know what structural changes need to happen,” said Morrison.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet issued an open letter, with leadership voicing their regret following the departure of the committee members. They reaffirmed their commitment to change, including promises to implement mandatory training on Indigenous history, anti-racism, and inclusivity for board members and staff.
The ballet has also committed to revising the processes behind the advisory circle, to ensure future efforts are meaningful and not simply performative.
“We identified that there were incidents of racism and systemic racism, none of that has been acknowledged, we have yet to receive an apology for that and we were very specific in requesting an apology,” said Morrison.
