Choreographer Nick Lazzarini, one of the stars of Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” is being pulled from a forthcoming dance tour after the production company was contacted by Variety for an article that alleged misconduct.
That investigation, which took place over the course of a year, was prompted by an interview with Lazzarini’s ex-wife, Kathryn Kirk, in which she recounted a secret relationship that lasted for several years. Kirk said in the interview that Lazzarini had put his hands down her shirt, grabbed her breasts and “obstructed her path to the bathroom” when she went to the bathroom while the couple was on a trip in 2014. She also said that he had “hurt” her over the course of their marriage.
“Since I entered the industry in 1998, my name has been a staple in every production I’ve worked on,” Lazzarini said in a statement provided to the company. “For the past five years, over 100% of my business has been in the United States, and the overwhelming majority of these projects have been an amazing experience for me. It is my hope that I will have the opportunity to continue to represent my home country for years to come.”
On March 10, Lazzarini was notified that his current contract with Tanz Theatricals in Amsterdam has been terminated. The tour, which was scheduled to begin in New Orleans on April 6, will now begin in mid-May in Austin.
In a statement released over the weekend, the company said that it was “confident that it has taken all reasonable measures to ensure that there is no similar misconduct in the future.”