Jazz and dance groups pull out of Washington performances to protest the venue’s renaming to the Trump-Kennedy Center, citing artistic integrity.
WASHINGTON: A prominent jazz group and a dance company have cancelled performances at Washington’s premier performing arts centre to protest its renaming to include US President Donald Trump.
The Cookers, a veteran jazz ensemble, expressed “deep regret” over cancelling their planned New Year’s Eve show.
“Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice,” the group stated.
The band’s drummer, Billy Hart, told The New York Times the centre’s name change had “evidently” influenced their decision.
A New York dance company, Doug Varone and Dancers, withdrew from an April performance scheduled for April.
They posted on Instagram, “With the latest act of Donald J. Trump renaming the Center after himself, we can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.”
Folk singer Kristy Lee also cancelled a January 14 performance last week, stating “losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.”
Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the arts centre, denounced the artists cancelling shows.
He claimed they “were booked by the previous far left leadership” in a post on X.
“Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome,” Grenell wrote.
Grenell accused another jazz artist, Chuck Redd, of a “political stunt” after he cancelled his annual Christmas Eve performance.
A letter from Grenell seen by AFP stated the centre would seek USD 1 million in damages from Redd.
Trump has stamped his mark on the Kennedy Centre since the start of his second term.
His administration has accused many cultural institutions of being too left-wing.
Several artists had already pulled out after Trump named himself its chairman and replaced most of its board.
The new management has cut drag shows and events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
It has instead hosted conferences for the religious right and invited more Christian artists.
US media reports indicate ticket sales have declined since the new board of directors took over.
