Chicago area nonprofit dance group still owed pay for 2022 holiday show performance
TINLEY PARK, Ill. (CBS) – With another holiday season in the books, another Christmas show wrapped up without a bow for a rural dance group.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory revisited an expensive promise made to the teens that wasn't kept.
Practice for the On Broadway Dancers' Christmas show began months ahead of time. As December 2023 drew closer, the opening number was tweaked to include a reference to the Amaze Light Festival in Tinley Park during the 2022 holiday season. The Coal City teens were hired to perform nightly for almost two months.
"It could've been really, really great," said Kim Scerine, director of On Broadway Dancers.
Scerine signed a contract with a company named Artistic Holiday Designs for nearly $100,000 in August of 2022. In September 2023, her kids cheered for a CBS 2 report that detailed the nearly $50,000 they were still missing from that Christmas gig.
"They were more excited that, being in a town that we're in, this is only 7,000 population, that there's an interest in our group," Scerine said. "And for what had happened to them."
Scerine received a $5,000 payment right before the report aired, and Artistic Holiday Designs emailed CBS 2 a promise: "On Broadway, Dancers will receive a series of payments in 2023 to be paid in full."
Victory: "How much hope did you have reading that public statement?"
Scerine: "I thought he would keep his word. I really did."
The promise didn't stick and led to a twist in this year's holiday performance. The On Broadway Dancers revealed during their show that they were "broke," and they weren't the only ones.
"It's very simple. We have the right to be paid," said Michael Gurl, who owns Petal and Company Productions.
His New York-based crews install dazzling decorations all over, including giant sparkling pieces at the Tinley Park Amaze Light Festival.
"We spent months on planning," Gurl said. "We spent over a week on site."
Gurl sued Artistic Holiday Designs for non-payment of over $850,000, plus legal fees.
"With the burden of this lawsuit and the deficit, it certainly made it very difficult to navigate and keep the business open," he said.
Artistic Holiday Designs also owes nearly $70,000 to Tinley Park police for security services they provided at the festival. In all, it adds up to millions of dollars in outstanding bills.
Despite Artistic Holiday Designs telling CBS 2 in September that, "We have been a pillar of integrity in our industry and have already contracted enough sales to fully pay any debts owed for 2023 and beyond."
"I cannot believe you are doing this in the eleventh hour," Scerine said.
That was Scerine's response to a December offer to settle for $17,000 less or wait two years for a payoff. She rejected both options.
Victory: "What would you say to people that would argue, 'Kim, just take the money and be done with it?'"
Scerine: "There's a principle behind all this. I should not have to take a loss after this many months of them asking me to be patient."
The On Broadway Dancers posted a video for New Year's showing their appreciation for the 2022 experience and a message for 2024: "Now pay us."
CBS 2 pressed the Artistic Holiday Design teams for an explanation about their broken promise to pay everyone by the end of 2023. The owner declined an interview opportunity and said he'd provide CBS 2 with a statement, but he broke that promise too. He hasn't responded to requests for comments in days.
