Apologies are the rarest thing in the law. But last week, our clients got one.
About a year and a half ago, we were contacted by a performer in New York City, Piper Johnson. They were working without pay at Body & Pole, a studio in Manhattan that offers classes in pole dancing and aerial fitness. The studio called it a “Work Study” program. But in reality, Piper and the other Work Studies were doing fifteen hours of unpaid menial labor every week for Body & Pole—cleaning the studio’s toilets, scrubbing its sinks, doing its laundry, selling its merchandise to the public—all in exchange for a supposed entrée into the world of aerial dance.
The notion that young artists should pay their dues, should keep quite about abuse, and should be grateful for even the most exploitative opportunities is deeply ingrained in American arts culture—just like silence and wage theft are deeply ingrained in American capitalism. So it took courage for Piper to stand up and say “No” to what Body & Pole was asking them to do.
In February of 2022, Piper and two of their fellow former Work-Studies, Rebecca Pardue and Ro Pluviose, became the named plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Body & Pole. Within weeks of the lawsuit becoming public, nineteen more former Work-Studies had come forward, asking to join the lawsuit.
And, by the autumn of 2022, faced with bankruptcy, Body & Pole agreed to settle. The studio could only afford to pay its former Work Studies a fraction of what they were owed — $120,000 in total. But the studio and its owner agreed to apologize for their conduct, and to publicly announce the end of the Work Study program. Last week, the studio wrote on its blog:
We are sorry the Work Study program did not meet the expectations of some participants and that they feel it was in any way unlawful. We personally hold nothing against anyone who shared these views or joined the lawsuit. We hope that every Work-Study understands how truly appreciative we are of your time and effort throughout your Work-Study experience pushing to improve yourselves, the studio, and the industry as a whole. You made Body & Pole a better place for everyone.
What I’ve come to realize is that maybe a program like our Work Study program is not what aspiring artists and other professionals want or need anymore. As a result, I hereby reaffirm Body & Pole’s commitment to ending our Work Study program, and we will no longer run such a program or anything like it in the foreseeable future. Body & Pole is trying to live by our mission statement and transform.
Representing clients like Piper, Rebecca, Ro and the other Work-Studies is exactly why Granovsky & Sundaresh exists: to keep America’s workplaces vibrant and fair.
But when we win cases for our clients, we often have to tell them that the money they are receiving is better than any apology could be. We have to tell them to be happy with a check, that an apology is something the law cannot compel.
And so this case is particularly gratifying. Because of Piper and Rebecca and Ro’s determination a leading New York City dance studio is coming forward, saying “sorry,” and calling for change.