'Unprofessionalism, ego, total disrespect': Dancer pulls out of Diljit Dosanjh's Europe tour due to poor management
Just months after many dancers accused Diljit Dosanjh's management of non-payment of dues for performing at his North America tour, another dancer has backed out of the Europe leg of the ongoing Dil-Luminati Tour due to similar reasons.
PTC News Desk: Just months after many dancers accused Diljit Dosanjh's management of non-payment of dues for performing at his North America tour, another dancer has backed out of the Europe leg of the ongoing Dil-Luminati Tour due to similar reasons.
Shilpa Sajan, a dancer, took to Instagram and posted a long statement with the caption, “An opportunity I was super excited about, but the dance industry has shown its true colours once again. Riddled with unprofessionalism, egos, total disrespect for dancers and being told ‘that’s just how Indians work’. No celebrity is worth giving up your self-respect @diljitdosanjh.”
She then explained how, when she was offered the role of backup dancer for the Dil-Luminati Tour's Europe leg, she was already aware of the controversy surrounding Diljit's management's nonpayment of dues in North America. However, she was assured that her position is paid.
However, once the tour began, she found she couldn't make ends meet on her small 80-pound pay. She was also expected to bear her own lodging and travel expenses, despite the fact that it involved international travel.
“I have never worked with such an unprofessional and disrespectful management team in my life. Everything was a mess,” she added.
Shilpa also stated that their messages were ignored, dancers were cut off at the last minute, and there was no focus on rehearsals, which impacted the final performances. She went on to explain that this was symptomatic of wider challenges in the dance industry, where artists are regarded as "objects."
Following this, several Instagram users came out in Shilpa's support. “Thank you for valuing yourself & your skill above these 5 mins of clout!” one user said. Another added, "Exploiting artists in the name of exposure has been happening for far too long. And especially with Diljit, who mentions in all his interviews that all his earnings go in his shows—yet, why aren’t people getting their fair share?” “Proud of you for standing up for yourself as hard as it may be,” a third person said.
Diljit will shortly visit India for a sold-out leg of his Dil-Luminati Tour, which begins on October 26 in New Delhi and ends on December 29 in Guwahati.