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 […]

On Instagram this week, Misty Copeland reposted a picture of two Russian ballerinas covered head to toe in black, exposing the Bolshoi’s practice of using blackface in the classical ballet La Bayadère. The post has already received over 60,000 likes and 2,000 comments, starting a long overdue conversation. Comments have been pouring in from every […]

Throughout my ballet training, I never felt isolated or different. I trained in the School of Richmond Ballet where the focus of my teachers included straightening my knees and not sickling my feet, and never landed on my being from a mixed race background. As I rose through the ranks of the school, the emphasis […]

My January is always busy. Weekdays are filled with rehearsals in Seattle and weekends are spent traversing the country auditioning students for our summer intensive. I direct Pacific Northwest Ballet School and I see these auditions as essential investments in future talent for both our school and company. I do them myself to let students […]

Since they were first offered in 2016, the International Association of Blacks in Dance‘s ballet auditions for dancers of color have sparked much debate within the dance community. Some believe these auditions create valuable opportunities for dancers of color while others disagree, even going so far as calling them slightly racist. Still, there’s no debating […]

Throughout his remarkable career, the fiercely determined, intelligent and energetic Arthur Mitchell has become accustomed to being called a trailblazer. “Being a typical Aries, I like being the first,” he says, laughing. “That’s what I’ve been doing all my life.” This is true, especially when it comes to the discussion at the forefront of today’s […]