RWB apologizes to students victimized by ex-instructor who took, sold intimate photos

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This article was published 11/02/2022 (1663 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet has apologized to students who were victims of a former dance instructor taking intimate photos of them.

The RWB, in a one-page apology released Friday, said it acknowledges the photo sessions “were traumatizing for many students.

The photographer, former faculty member Bruce Monk, posted and sold some of the images online.

“As an internationally recognized centre for dance education, we were and are responsible for providing a safe and supportive environment for the training, housing, nurturing, and mentoring of these former students,” the statement read.

“The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is deeply sorry and regrets that the class members, all of whom were talented and vulnerable young people, were not protected as they should have been.”

The apology was part of the $10 million settlement the RWB agreed to pay last month in return for the dismissal of all claims against the ballet and Monk, who was let go shortly after the allegations were revealed in 2015.

The bulk of the money will go to the former students who were photographed by Monk in a private setting between 1984 and 2015.

The settlement was approved Friday by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

“We offer a heartfelt apology to all of the victims and those that have been impacted,” RWB artistic director and CEO Andre Lewis said in the statement.

“I commend former students for their bravery and courage in coming forward and telling their story, and I want them to know that we are 100 per cent committed to fostering training, working, and living environments that are safe and positive, and where every person feels valued and supported.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca