Kennedy Center’s New Dance Director Criticized ‘Woke’ Ballet Culture

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts named Stephen Nakagawa, a former dancer with the Washington Ballet, as its director of dance programming on Monday, shortly after firing the department’s previous leader and declaring that its programming would be moving in a new direction.

Mr. Nakagawa had written a letter to the center’s president, Richard Grenell, in which he noted his support for the Trump administration and complained about “radical leftist ideologies in ballet,” according to a copy provided to The New York Times by a former employee who declined to be identified, fearing harassment or retribution.

Two other people who saw the letter confirmed its contents to The Times.

Mr. Nakagawa also wrote that he had grown “increasingly concerned about the direction the ballet world is taking in America” and had become distressed by the “rise of ‘woke’ culture” at the Washington Ballet and other companies.

He did not specify how the ballet company was affected by the culture he described and did not respond to requests for comment.

In Mr. Nakagawa’s letter, he wrote that the Kennedy Center had the potential to become the “premier hub for ballet in the U.S.”

“Through bold programming and a renewed commitment to artistic excellence,” he wrote, “I would love to be part of a movement to end the dominance of leftist ideologies in the arts and return to classical ballet’s purity and timeless beauty.”

A Kennedy Center spokeswoman, Roma Daravi, described the letter as “private” and suggested that The Times was writing a “hit piece.”

“He has devoted his entire life to the performing arts and wants nothing more than to see the industry thrive which is why he has joined our institution in such a time as this,” she said.

The Kennedy Center has undergone major changes since Mr. Trump took control of it this year. The president pledged to rid the center of “woke” programming and gave Mr. Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany, the task of rooting out “anti-American propaganda.”

Last week the center fired its previous dance director, Jane Raleigh, and two other employees. In interviews, the three employees said Mr. Grenell had urged them to come up with programming that was more “broadly appealing,” providing as an example the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The new director, Mr. Nakagawa, trained at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet and danced with Ballet West II in Salt Lake City before joining the Washington Ballet, a company that frequently performs at the Kennedy Center.

In its announcement, the center described Mr. Nakagawa as a “distinguished dancer, choreographer and educator,” listing numerous roles in ballets such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Swan Lake.” It noted that Mr. Nakagawa choreographed a ballet that premiered at the Washington Ballet called “Rising Sun,” which the company described as having been “created in 2020 during the rise of violence against the A.A.P.I. community,” referring to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

“The arts have always been at the heart of my life,” Mr. Nakagawa, who is in his early 30s, said in the announcement. “I am eager to help inspire and uplift audiences, while ensuring dance continues to thrive as a vibrant and essential part of our culture and community.”

The upcoming Kennedy Center dance season, which was announced under the previous director, begins in October and is scheduled to feature some of the country’s top dance companies, including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater and Martha Graham Dance Company.