Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina

Content Warning: This section discusses racism in the ballet world.

In ballet, Misty explains, there are times when it is important to stand out and “seize the spotlight” and times when it is necessary to blend in, particularly when dancing with the corps de ballet. In ballet productions, ballerinas must match, not only in movement but also in appearance, with similar body proportions and hair. This traditional view of ballet causes problems for Misty because some in the ballet world with old-fashioned and racist attitudes “believe there is no place in ballet for a brown swan” (173). Having been protected from racism as a dance student, Misty finds for the first time that her race is a problem.

She recalls an article that appeared in the New York Times in 2007 titled “Where Are All the Black Swans?” The article discusses the difficulties faced by ballet dancers of color and features the story of Raven Wilkinson, who became the first African American to join a major ballet company when she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1950s. She needed to leave the US to find a ballet company that would accept her, and even then, she was required to literally paint her face white to fit in with the other dancers.