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Another slew of plagiarism accusations is sweeping the dance world. This time, they revolve around Enric Marimon, a dance teacher in Spain.
The uproar began when New York City–based teacher and choreographer Courtney Ortiz posted a video of her own choreography to ABBA’s “Voulez-Vous” alongside a video of nearly identical choreography posted by Marimon, which had no credit to or mention of Ortiz. Ortiz’s comparison post quickly blew up, amassing thousands of comments and shares. And it prompted the latest online reckoning over crediting and plagiarism in dance, a frustratingly familiar refrain. (See: Beyoncé’s infamous “Countdown” video, Kelsea Ballerini’s 2018 Country Music Awards performance, the multiple controversies involving the K-pop group ILLIT.)
Ortiz claims that Marimon has plagiarized three other pieces of her choreography, as well as the work of at least seven other choreographers over the course of several years, including Joshua Bergasse, Richard Hinds, Karla Puno Garcia, John Leggio, Sophie Holloway, Sarah Meahl and Billy Griffin.
Marimon’s personal Instagram and TikTok profiles, as well as the pages for his studios, Broadway House Madrid and Broadway Jazz Barcelona, are now private, and it appears that videos have been deleted from his YouTube account. But earlier screenshots of those videos show some instances of Marimon being explicitly credited as the choreographer, as well as several with his name being listed next to the brain emoji, or with his name as a hashtag.
Marimon posted two (now deleted) apologies on Instagram, one in Spanish and one in English. He also posted a written apology in Spanish on Instagram, asserting that the majority of the work he teaches is his own.
The accusations against Marimon go beyond his in-person classes. He also runs Broadway Jazz Online, a subscription service that Ortiz says contains instructional videos of choreography belonging to her, Hinds, and Leggio. (The Broadway Jazz Online website seems to have been taken offline.)
Given that there are few protections for choreographers’ intellectual property unless that property has been copyrighted, and that copyrighting choreography is highly uncommon and logistically fraught, this is more likely to be an ethical issue than a legal one. But in the wake of Ortiz’s allegations, Spanish dance organizations Jazzelona Dance Festival and the Association of Dance Professionals in the Community of Madrid have issued statements denouncing plagiarism, as has The Place Dance Studio Madrid, where Marimon taught a guest class using what appeared to be Bergasse’s choreography. New York City studios Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center, where Ortiz, Bergasse, and many of the other choreographers teach, also released statements.
“Copying and profiting off of stolen choreography will not be tolerated,” reads the BDC statement. “Any filming or sharing by choreographers and teachers on platforms is meant to celebrate the choreographer’s talents, showcase the students’ hard work, and advance our mission to inspire the world to dance.”
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