Kennedy Center terminates dance programming team

The Kennedy Center has fired its dance programming team. “Three individuals were terminated,” read a statement from Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi. “We will have an exciting announcement about the new direction for Dance programming soon.”

Programming staff help curate and manage the performances planned for the season. The Kennedy Center did not identify the three people who were fired, but Jane Raleigh is listed as Director of Dance Programming on the Kennedy Center’s website. NPR has reached out to Raleigh for comment.

It doesn’t appear that the firings will interrupt the Kennedy Center’s dance offerings for the immediate future. Kaimana Chee was contracted to be a curator at the Kennedy Center and lead free dance classes for the public, including three on Saturday. Chee said in an interview that those classes will proceed as scheduled. But he added that since President Trump took over the Center earlier this year, many of his fellow curators have opted to leave their contracts.

After naming himself the Kennedy Center’s Chairman, President Trump has taken major steps to reshape the cultural center. Just last week, Trump surprised Kennedy Center staff when he announced his picks for this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, including actor Sylvester Stallone, disco star Gloria Gaynor, and the rock band Kiss.

The change in leadership at the Kennedy Center also came with a bump in funds. The President’s “Big Beautiful Bill” came with a $257 million influx for the Center, six times what it usually gets from Congress annually.

Simultaneously, the Trump administration is conducting an audit of the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C., after stating on Truth Social that museums all over the country “are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.'”