Jan Fabre, the Belgian artist and choreographer, has been given an 18-month suspended sentence after a court in Antwerp found him guilty of bullying and violence against five women he worked with, as well as an assault on one of the women.
The assault charge related to a kiss Fabre forced upon one woman. Fabre had claimed it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing. He was cleared of six other charges including claims he instituted a ‘no sex, no solo’ rule to pressure dancers into physical relationships.
The verdict follows a three year investigation by the Auditorat du travail d’Anvers labour tribunal following the publication of a letter by members of Fabre’s Troubleyn troupe which accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct. Writing in 2018, former colleagues claimed ‘humiliation is daily bread in and around the rehearsal space of Troubleyn. Women’s bodies in particular are the target of painful, often bluntly sexist criticism – regardless of their actual physical condition.’
An-Sofie Raes, who represented Fabre’s accusers told De Morgen: ‘We are very pleased with this verdict. The court acknowledges that there was a pattern. It is an important recognition and a milestone – not only for the civil parties, but also for other victims who may wonder whether such behaviour is permissible’.
Fabre emerged in the late 1970s with a series of attention-grabbing performances, including Money, in which he burned cash gathered from the audience and painted with the ashes, and in 1982, the eight-hour, multi-language theatre piece This is theatre like it was to be expected and foreseen.
The choreographer was also told he must pay each of his victims a symbolic compensation of €1.
