People, Dec. 3, 1979

Everybody seemed to be out of step at the American Ballet Theater. For six months, the company and 77 dancers—soloists and the corps de ballet—have been bickering over salaries and travel expenses.

A sotto voce complaint, in addition, was that Soviet Defector Alexander Godunov had been offered a six-figure salary to dance with the A.B.T.

or about as much as management seemed willing to grant the lesser dancers all together in raises. So bitter were feelings that the company canceled performances, while superstars like Gelsey Kirkland joined the picket line. Last week. Godunov complicated things...

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