Dance runs in India Bradley’s family: Her mother is a dance teacher and a former member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Unsurprisingly, Bradley ended up in dance classes at a young age, studying a little bit of everything but falling hardest for ballet. After training at Dance Theatre of Harlem and the School of […]
New York City Ballet corps member Rachel Hutsell was practically destined to join the company: “When I was about two years old, my grandmother gave me a video of New York City Ballet performing George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and I watched it every single night for two years!” she says. “That was what first sparked […]
As a student at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, American Ballet Theatre corps member Erica Lall saw iconic former Houston Ballet principal Lauren Anderson on a regular basis. “I think I assumed her position as an African-American principal dancer was a one-time thing,” Lall says. “Lauren became a principal in 1990. Why aren’t there dozens […]
Misty Copeland. Her name is synonymous with exquisite artistry and outspoken advocacy. And her visibility has made a huge impact on the ballet world. Ballet’s relationship with race has always been strained at best, hostile at worst. But Copeland’s persistent message and star quality have finally forced the ballet industry to start talking about racial […]