In 2011, after dancing with American Repertory Ballet and Nashville Ballet, Rachael Parini had decided to retire her ballet shoes. At that point, she was a sophomore at Florida State University, planning to major in political science and international affairs and to work for the State Department when she graduated. But then another black ballerina […]
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 […]
“I had a unique path to dance,” says Nardia Boodoo, a luminous, elegant dancer with The Washington Ballet. She briefly studied ballet as a child, but didn’t start serious training until she was 14 years old, attending Baltimore School for the Arts. “I didn’t know what a pirouette was,” she says. “I would wake up […]
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 […]
When we think of a dancer who’s broken barriers, American Ballet Theatre principal Misty Copeland tends to be the name that comes to mind. And though Copeland has been a crucial advocate for equality in the world of ballet, Raven Wilkinson—a mentor of Copeland’s—is considered one of the original pioneers of the movement. In 1955, […]
When we first heard about Disney’s live-action film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, we honestly weren’t sure what to expect. Would it bear any resemblance to the ballet story we know alllllllll too well? Would it be light and fun, or dark and dramatic? Most importantly, would it involve dancing? Well, the first trailer […]
We can’t all dance like Misty Copeland (😭 😭 😭 ). But thanks to her new partnership with Estée Lauder, we can smell like her. The American Ballet Theatre principal/all-around superhero just announced that she’s the newest spokesmodel for Estée Lauder’s Modern Muse perfume—and there couldn’t be a better person to embody the scent’s “Be […]
Week 2 of Misty Copeland as guest judge, week 2 of merciless cuts…How can the final episodes of “World of Dance” possibly live up to the sheer dramaaaaaaaaa of last night’s episode? Well, based on the nail-biting results dished out by Copeland and Co. last night, the competition is only going to get fiercer from […]