During the past three years, we’ve caught glimpses of healthier ways to conduct business, produce more inclusive events and better support artists. Right now the dance community is teetering at a crucial edge. In an urgency to return to business as usual, there is a danger that we’ll do just that.

Since the nationwide fight against racial inequality took center stage in May, organizations across the dance world have been looking for meaningful ways to show their support, rather than fall back on empty social media signifiers. July 10-11, Diamante Ballet Dancewear is taking action with Dance for Change, a two-day event dedicated to fundraising for […]

With performances on pause, Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Maxfield Haynes is back home in Louisville, Kentucky. While they’re catching up on Netflix and doing Zoom classes like most dancers sheltering in place, over the past month, the Black, nonbinary ballet dancer has also been taking to the streets, using drag “as a tool for political action” […]

It struck the National Ballet of Canada like a bolt of lightning when one of its Black dancers, American-born corps de ballet member Nicholas Rose, posted an emotional video on Instagram effectively accusing the company of racism. “I’m calling you out… Do better!” Seven days had passed since the death of an unarmed Black man, […]

Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated annually on June 19 to mark the end of slavery in the United States. Though it’s long been celebrated in many Black communities, it’s not currently recognized as a national or federal holiday. Yet as Black Lives Matter protests continue nationwide, the occasion has garnered more visibility and attention this […]

Implicit bias and racial stereotyping are rampant in the dance world . That’s a fact dancers of color have always known. But the anti-racism protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd—protests whose effects have reverberated through a myriad of industries—are bringing new attention to the problem. Though dance has been heavily influenced by Black […]

I recently spoke to the dancers and management of Houston Ballet, where I dance, as part of ongoing conversations covering racial injustice. I was going to start by asking them how they were doing. But I quickly realized what kind of reaction I’d get. It’s the one you have the morning after a six-hour rehearsal […]

I remember the first year that I competed at the Youth America Grand Prix. I was 17 years old and particularly excited to be participating in a competition that focused on ballet. First up for my age group was classical, where I danced Kitri’s Act I variation showing off all of my strengths: personality, speed […]