The Photograph That Helped Misty Copeland Realize Her Responsibility as a Black Woman in BalletPosted in Articles, Arts, Media Archive, Women on 2016-12-26 17:08Z by Steven |
The Photograph That Helped Misty Copeland Realize Her Responsibility as a Black Woman in Ballet
Vanity Fair
2016-10-11
Ahead of her new book, the first African-American female principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre reveals the power of seeing a portrait of Raven Wilkinson, who broke color barriers in ballet more than 50 years ago.
“I saw this image of dancer Raven Wilkinson for the first time in Ballets Russes, the 2005 documentary. I cried upon hearing a history I didn’t know much about. As a black woman in the classical-ballet world, I realized then that, although things have evolved in the 50 years since Raven faced severe racism while performing with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, black women still face an uphill battle finding their place as professionals in classical ballet…
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