Black Ballerinas: The Literal Black Sheep In Pink Tights

Dancing has always been something I’ve loved. Yet, it wasn’t until recently, that I began to really open up and officially start dancing. Not a midnight dance to your favorite song from Cheetah Girls’ type of thing but a real class, a real teacher, a real studio and real dance attire. Of course, I had jitters. That’s putting it lightly, to be completely honest, I couldn’t stop shaking. I knew I had a ton to learn and I was technically behind girls as young as 10 years old.

My first ballet class was hard, it was nothing like I was used to. It never occurred to me that I looked entirely different than anyone else. Of course, being a black girl, you know you stand out in certain spaces. But, I was too excited to even notice. I didn’t notice the stares, I didn’t notice how alien my body type was compared to theirs. My short 4C hair couldn’t be put into a perfect slick bun. The issue of young Black girls being turned away from the gates of ballet is something that occurs across the nation, and although I didn’t originally know it, it discouraged me as well.

 Contemporary dance started at the beginning of the 20th century, although Ballet has been around since the 15 century. Dance was something that was exclusive to white women. All the ballerinas had the same traits: small chests, small stomachs, and impeccable buns. No one ever thought of black women being on the same stage, in the same attire. That same mindset is still shown today.

“Internally, we worry we’re not enough. We worry we will never be the perfect ballerina. We worry our bodies aren’t up to par. We worry our hair stands out too much.”

 Ballerina Aesha Ash in an interview stated, “I have a strong sense that, behind the scenes, donors are saying that they don’t want to see African-Americans promoted in ballet. They want to see Giselles as pale, they want things to remain how they are – for the ‘pure’ swans to look like the traditional swans they’ve seen their whole lives.”

Black dancers face criticism externally and internally. Because of the stigma that our skin color and body type aren’t welcome in the dance world, we stand out in studios and dance companies. Internally, we worry we’re not enough. We worry we will never be the perfect ballerina. We worry our bodies aren’t up to par. We worry our hair stands out too much. Yet, through all of the hardships, black women still continue to prosper.

Misty Copeland is a well known African American ballerina, but to add on to the black excellence, there are more successful black women in the Dance industry that are more than worth checking out. Dancers like Ashley Murphy, Lauren Anderson, Hope Boykin, Candace Brown, Alicia Graf Mack, and Ingrid Silva are all wonderful ballerinas that pave the way for young black boys and girls.

To young black girls pursuing a career in dance: I encourage you to work as hard as you can. I believe this generation will set the example for black girls in the future. We are the key to more representation in the dance community. It is okay to stand out, and it is okay to cry when it gets hard and you feel alone.  It takes a lot to put yourself out there when the world seems pitted against you. Although we’re dancers, we will always be black women first.