NO DANCE ON A DEAD PLANET
April 22, 2025
xrnyc_press@unitedrebellion.com
EXTINCTION REBELLION DISRUPTS PERFORMANCE OF "ALL BALANCHINE I" TO WARN:
“NO DANCE ON A DEAD PLANET”
New York, NY - In an approximately 10 minute disruption far less severe than that of an extreme weather event, members of Extinction Rebellion interrupted the Tuesday evening performance of “All Balanchine I", resulting in a pause of the show. As climate disasters become increasingly common, dangerous, and hard to predict, the interrupters warned that there is “no dance on a dead planet”. As the performance was temporarily halted, the reaction from the audience varied from boos to cheers, with some audience members celebrating the disruption for "speaking the truth."
Pushing back on the draconian, authoritarian policies of the Trump administration is more crucial than ever. As democratic rights continue to get eroded, it's clear that marches are not enough to achieve meaningful change. Extinction Rebellion has been alerting the public to this truth for a long time, but now it has become clear: we need to act now, in immediate ways that go beyond any policy put in place in recent memory.
The action was non-violent and serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of inaction.
WHY “NO DANCE ON A DEAD PLANET”?
This is it. We’re not “almost” out of time. This is it. The latest models project 3 degrees of warming by 2060. Another new study predicts up to 4 billion deaths and a 50% loss of global GDP this century. These are endgame numbers.
Now more than ever, it is crucial to halt activities that contribute to this destruction. The consequences of doing nothing are dire; the future could see mass extinction events if decisive action is not taken. Doing nothing—especially now—is going to lead to even more human death and misery.
Most of Trump's actions are symbolic, or reversible, or part of a culture war, but climate catastrophes aren't. Tariffs have immediate impacts, but there’s no economy on a dead planet. Climate chaos threatens more than just economics: there is no dance on a dead planet.
DEMANDS
Cultural institutions must take responsibility by leading efforts to address the climate emergency. Their silence or inaction equates to complicity in the ongoing ecological disaster. These institutions have the potential and the duty to guide society through this critical period.
Inaction is equivalent to support when structures are actively falling apart. Cultural institutions' complicity encourages and promotes the Trump administration's policies. These institutions are capable of leading us through this craziness. However if they stay silent and do not lead, they are a cog in Trump's machine.
Extinction Rebellion has a model, the citizen's assembly, which provides a structured way of leading us through confusing and novel circumstances. Additionally, cultural institutions should purposefully insulate themselves better from the structures that created Trump: an end to relying on billionaires for funding and support.
Doing no more than marching or posting pictures on social media, too, is not enough to prevent the onslaught of climate disaster that awaits. Institutions that support the people will supplant the state institutions that are showing the failings that the climate movement has long warned about.
QUOTES
These quotes can be attributed to protestors from Extinction Rebellion NYC.
"Many New Yorkers know how bad our climate situation is. But just as many don't know what to do! We are here tonight to tell them: 'join, or die'."
"Our ask to institutions is: are you going to sit back and submit, or are you going to resist?"
"Our action today is not about drawing attention; it's about demanding accountability and leadership from all sectors of society. Cultural institutions hold significant influence, and their silence is deafening in the face of this crisis."
ABOUT EXTINCTION REBELLION
Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on the climate and nature emergency.
Extinction Rebellion exists because the conventional approaches: voting, writing to politicians and signing petitions, have clearly failed. Powerful political and economic interests prevent change, as does our outdated political system. Our strategy is therefore one of nonviolent, disruptive civil disobedience – in short, it is a strategy of rebellion.
Climate boiling is here and now. It’s happening all around us, hitting some harder than others. Extinction Rebellion demands that all of us, especially major institutions and governments, tell the truth about the ongoing Sixth Mass Extinction. Extinction Rebellion believes that, faced with the government’s criminal inaction, it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, through peaceful civil disobedience .
Internationally, Extinction Rebellion has been demanding that those with power act now to halt the worst outcomes of the climate catastrophe currently unfolding. Unlike other climate advocacy groups, Extinction Rebellion understands that we must go beyond politics and establish Citizens’ Assemblies, where ordinary citizens can meet in a depoliticized setting to discuss, learn from experts, and make policy recommendations. Only in this way can we achieve the fair and just transition we need.
Leading by example, Extinction Rebellion is fighting for a more stable, sustainable world.