How Chaos at Metro Arts Is Impacting Dance in Nashville

It’s “Nutcracker” season — but given the upheaval at Metro Arts, we need to talk about more than just the Sugar Plum Fairy. Host Marie Cecile Anderson is joined by Nick Mullikin, Artistic Director and CEO of the Nashville Ballet; Asia Pyron, director and choreographer of PYDANCE; and Sarah Atenhan, president and artistic director of Satellite Dance. They’ll discuss their current projects, their passion for broadening dance access in Nashville, and unpack how the Metro Arts chaos — and insufficient arts funding in general — is impacting their work. Nashville Ballet’s “Nutcracker” is running now through Dec. 26. Get tickets here. “God’s Country” by PYDANCE is Jan. 17, 2025 at TPAC. Get tickets here.  Follow Satellite Dance on Instagram here. Further reading on the Metro Arts debacle: A timeline of events from Dec. 2022 to March 2024 Deep dive into the fallout from the 2023 change in funding mechanism The Title VI discrimination complaint filed by artists against Metro Arts  Metro Human Relations Commission report after investigation of Title VI complaint* Conciliation agreement August 2024 update on events following conciliation agreement *City Cast executive producer Whitney Pastorek is an MHRC commissioner and voted in favor of the conciliation agreement Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter.  Follow us @citycastnashville You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392⁩ Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.  Learn more about the sponsor of this Dec. 9th episode: United Way of Greater Nashville