When I think about Katherine Dunham I am reminded of her stage presence and vibrancy. When I think about Janet Collins I am reminded of her beauty and how the world of dance enthusiasts of the times had a love, hate relationship with her artistic brilliance because she was black. When I think of Raven Wilkinson I am reminded of her defiance against the rigid segregation and racism of that time. Although each of these women's careers included trailblazing feats in one way or another, as stories were passed down, we learned of their legacies to include being ostracized and their audacity to overcome. That audacity had everything to do with loving the craft of dance and being committed beyond their race. That superseded everything.
Have you ever thought about it? With all of the racial shadows, the life of these women continues to transcend decades. Not only that, each of these women rose above to inspire us. If the dedication to their dance careers made them legends, why are black women as a whole today constantly fighting to prove a point that has already been proven? Why is it often a priority to prove our belonging within ballet if every hindrance and ill-word has already been overcome? Why aren't black women so comfortable with themselves that we can learn the craft, perfect the craft, be within the craft and thrive there? What more is there to prove? The more we work to prove our existence and ability to hold space within classical ballet the more we adopt things that have nothing to do with the work but consistently casts a shadow of isolation and victimhood.
When dancers of the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, made bold choices that were specific to black and brown dancers, they had revelations that came from their courageous moves and struggles. We don't have to deal with some of those things today at that great magnitude. Making things like hair, tights, shoes, skin color etc., an invitation to "rearrange" classical ballet to "fit" black women defeats the purpose of a past that expresses the value black women bring to ballet. This is my belief. Anything in small quantity is always seen as rare and therefore greatly sought after. Why do we feel the need to boast our existence in ballet as worthy due to things like our hair or tights color? That is a microscopic portion of black women in dance. We are brilliant, rare, sought after. We should carry ourselves as such.
Some of the content I see on social media really saddens me because the black dancers' fame and beauty never gets beyond skin. And guess what? If we're doing it to ourselves we are teaching the media, companies, directors and colleagues to do it to us as well. It is not our job to integrate black culture into everything ballet. That isn't commendable, it's a cop out. When we love and respect our work we follow the standards. If there is to be a superseding, it will be undeniably recorded because of pure excellence through the craft. Call me old school but tradition is not the killer of classical ballet, misplaced "black pride" is.
We go from advocacy to being a token all because we have not learned to fully thrive within the work, within who we are! So we must ask ourselves? Are we in a ballet career to prove a point or to share in the art?
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