Reframing the Narrative: Blacks in Ballet | A Kennedy Center Digital Stage Original

[@velyndab2velyndabaker712]

BRING THIS Ballet out once a year at the Kennedy Center-You will inspire many to join

[@lazarocedeno5270]

I am a ballet dancer. I am a black ballet dancer. I am 86 years fabulous. I am in heaven. Have I died? Noooooooooo!. This is happening. We are happening. Wow. Wow. Wow. My tears are flowing. Flowing. Flowing .Flying. Haven. Heaven. Heavenly.

[@cartomancycarmen]

I was named after Carmen Delavallade exactly 31 years and 1 day after she appeared on Jet magazine. My mom was 31 when she had me…!!!!

[@djjohnson7519]

Awesome! Thank you! Impactful! Everyone is GREAT at what you do.

[@porsharobinson463]

Beautiful work!!!! I cannot wait for my ballerina to be apart of something this monumental

[@shazrebekah]

Wow. This amazing and so powerful! More of this please!

[@lazarocedeno5270]

You children are marvelous. My children. My precious children. I am so moved. You move. You are moving. Classical ballet dancers. You are soooooooooooofineeeeeeeeeeee.

[@springnicole]

For artists to show up and bring their individual gifts and skill is such a beautiful thing. When you have a platform that sees, hears and values dancers and their contribution, the collective benefits and the art form of ballet itself develops further, expanding to a broader audience.

[@dennisrabinovitz7787]

Changing lives with art. Kudos, Kennedy Center and Everyone Involved.

[@terrelldavis4502]

I loved every moment of this. So important, relevant, and soul shifting 🤩🖤🤎

[@rachalyahsharahal9060]

Outstanding just Beautiful, so much life, grace and eloquence.

[@camilleveronicamusicalartist]

This so beautifully healing and inspiring. Thank you!!!!

[@MOBBALLET]

Wow...Just wow, we did that !

[@TheIknowStanShow]

Absolutely amazing! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@cartomancycarmen]

This is the most beautiful cast I have ever seen! I was named after Carmen Delavallade 31 years and 1 day fter she appeared on jet magazine. My mom was 31 when she had me and finally had a daughter ❣️ I’m not a ballet dancer but seeing this made me wish I had.

[@PurposeDriven-hl6qx]

❤beautiful 🎉

[@VictoriaHarrison-qe3qw]

I adore ballet & love this, but I have a question: Have the good people, who have commented here, ever been to a ballet prformance? What is your favorite ballet? Who is your favorite soloist? (prima or danseur) & which ballet role (character) would you like to see a Black soloist) for example Odette/Odile in Swan lake. Have you seen the wonderful work of Misty Copeland? To change the narrative in ballet we need to get more young people actually interested in ballet (Black or otherwise) it is all very well to say "Oh this is wonderful" (which it IS!) if you have never seen a ballet performance & have no idea about the art form that is wonderful ballet, & the grueling training & years of hard work dancers have to put in to perfect their art. Ballet is for everyone to enjoy, as is opera, but snobbish attitudes still exist, unfortunatly & if we are to have any hope of changing this we need more actual FANS of ballet to support that change. We have had many amazing Black ballet performers dating back to the 1930's yet I dont think many people know who the awesome Janet Faye Collins is, sadly. So get out there, see ballet, go regular, follow the performers, educate yourselves in ballet & become a true fan. Awesome video BTW! xx

[@t.w.8174]

I LOVE Precious Adams!

[@jada5229]

beautiful

[@DETROIT1948]

Thank you.

[@kathya2608]

Glad to have found this video. Keep on Ballet dancers who happen to be Black. You are on the High ground❤❤❤ 🤎🤎🤎🖤🖤🖤🩶🩶🩶🤍💙💛🤎

[@bumblebea1773]

Wow ❤❤❤

[@anotherb7068]

Ty for this

[@bobbyschannel349]

The Thing that bothers me about this as an Afro-American is.. that dances from the 1920s 30s and 40s. Like the jitterbug swing dances, specifically Lindy Hop. Is dying out in the black community. But it's astoundingly thriving in the white communities. White people are the majority in swing dances Lindy Hop.. Last night I was doing research all over social media and the internet, reading article after article about swing dances and Lindy Hop. And no black people are doing it. They're not interested. But white people love it. And they are good at. I even read somewhere. That many white Lindy hop dancers would dance in front of black spectators. And even tried to get them to learn it, because they want black people to learn it. Because they understand that these are black dances from the 20, 30s and 40s But a lot of black people are not interested. So therefore white people are dominating the Lindy Hop movement all over the world... One of the reasons why this bothers me so much, I was looking at lots of black movies from the 1920s 30s and 40s over the past three months.. Literally falling in love with black American jazz culture.. I watched Movies like.. the girl in room 20, Moon over Harlem, Paradise in Harlem, Boy! what a girl. And like a dozen more, but especially Oscar micheaux movies. Most of his movies there are always great little jazz in jazz dancing numbers. I was looking at short films by cab calloway like the jitterbug party. I was looking at Bill Robinson King for a Day, And I literally fell in love with jazz and jazz dancing.. But when I look at black people of this generation, there seems to be a disinterest, or a disconnect. And the only thing that bothers me about this ballet video and the studio that teaches ballet to black children. Because its almost as if though we are more interested in someone else's dances as opposed to our own,. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with this, it's a great thing dancing from all walks of life. The problem is is that black Americans had this particular swing dance that originated in the black community, but black people are not interested in it. And it's now dominated by the White community worldwide. If you go all over KZbin, and you look at Lindy Hop competitions, it's all white people internationally! No blacks!! maybe one or two.. and they are Europeans. I find it heartbreaking that black people are not into things that they created that originated in their communities. The only problem with this video looking at this very eurocentric dancing style. There are very few black dance studios that teaches swing dance and Lindy Hop. But there are tons of black ballet studios..

[@tulip5677]

Hopefully, in this day and age, ballet doesn't have to be Eurocentric anymore. It can belong equally to all humanity, including new ballets choreographed by talented people of all colors from all backgrounds. I don't know anything about Lindy Hop but it sounds interesting; perhaps it deserves a wider audience.

[@MsMarmima]

If only white people are doing it, what makes you think black people will feel welcome enough to do it? Look at what happened to country, rock music, electronic, and what's going on with rap... Ballet is classic/timeless but like you said, lindyhop invokes a particular time... Why do white people feel so comfortable with that?

[@egyptkiss07]

Thank you for sharing your heart on this!!! I deeply appreciate your passion and knowledge shared here, and I’m going to look up these dances all because you were brave enough to challenge us ✊🏾❤️‍🔥🙏🏾

[@ybshadyii4375]

👏👏👏

[@sophielily2015]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@craigslistreplies3485]

The term "Blacks" does not sit well with a lot of people. (Personally, I prefer the term African American but use the term Black/African because not all people of African descent identify as "Black") But you could have at least said Black PEOPLE.

[@MsMarmima]

I definitely raised my eyebrow. Still the same 10 months later

[@annakat3754]

No. It's not for you.