Sylvia Dansby-Williams began training at Columbia City Ballet at age nine and eventually became Columbia City Ballet’s first African American principal dancer.

Dansby-Williams’ repertoire with the company included roles such as the Sugarplum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker and Myrtha in Giselle, as well as roles in Swan Lake and Pocahontas. She originated the role of the Red Maiden in Dracula: Ballet with a Bite.

Dansby-Williams took a brief hiatus from the company to take class and perform in Germany, but returned the next year, in 1993.

CCB considers Dansby-Williams instrumental in “transforming Columbia City Ballet productions into classics” and her dancing “an indelible part of Columbia City Ballet history.”

After retiring from the company, Dansby-Williams moved to Atlanta, Georgia. She now raises and homeschools her three children and works as an e-commerce entrepreneur.

Sources:

Brava to CCB’s First African American Principal Dancer Sylvia Dansby-Williams, Columbia City Ballet

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