Climate Activists Interrupt New York City Ballet Performance

New York Times

23-04-2025

A small group of climate change activists interrupted a New York City Ballet performance at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center on Tuesday, the opening night of the company's spring season.
The protest occurred shortly before 9 p.m., as dancers and orchestra musicians performed Balanchine's 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,' the third ballet on an all-Balanchine program for the opening night, which coincided this year with Earth Day.
A woman began yelling from the balcony. Then, she shouted, 'We're in a climate emergency,' and unfurled a banner from a balcony.
'Our country has become a fascist regime, and we are enjoying this beauty,' said the protester, according to videos of the incident.
The dancers and musicians continued to perform through the demonstration for about five minutes. Some members of the audience booed the protesters and demanded their removal.
The curtain came down, an announcer said the show would be paused because of the disruption and security officers removed several protesters from the auditorium. About five minutes later, 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux' restarted from the beginning and the performance did not face further interruptions, City Ballet said in a statement.
Activists had also gathered outside the theater before the performance, holding signs reading 'Koch killing the planet' and 'No billionaire ballet on Earth Day,' according to photos posted online.
The theater is named after David H. Koch, a billionaire who donated vast sums to support the arts but was for some a polarizing figure because of his campaign to counter the science of climate change.
The climate advocacy group Extinction Rebellion, which has organized similar protests, said in a social media post Tuesday night that the demonstration was meant to highlight the Koch family's support for conservative causes and efforts to block policies to fight climate change.
The protest follows similar episodes at other high-profile performances. Last year, three climate change protesters disrupted a Broadway performance of 'An Enemy of the People,' starring Jeremy Strong. And in 2023, climate activists interrupted a performance of Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at the Metropolitan Opera. A protester shouted 'The spring is tainted,' and dropped a banner that read 'No Opera on a Dead Planet.'