This resource list was developed in collaboration by the Design and Facilitation Team of the Equity Project:
Tammy Bormann, principal with The TLB Collective;
Joselli Audain Deans, EdD, dancer, educator and independent dance scholar;
P. Kimberleigh Jordan, PhD, educator, former dancer, and assistant professor at Drew University.
Theresa Ruth Howard– MoBBallet Founder, journalist, diversity strategist
The Equity Project Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet, is a Mellon Foundation funded three-year
partnership program between Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dance/USA and The International Association
of Blacks in Dance to support the advancement of racial equity in professional ballet companies. The
Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet brings together a cohort of artistic and
executive leaders from 20 large budget, professional ballet organizations for in-person meetings and
coaching, with the purpose of increasing the presence of blacks in ballet in all areas of the industry.
*find participating companies below
GLOSSARY
Glossary of Terms from the Racial Equity Tools
MoBBallet.org
Timeline
PAPERS:
“FROM SAFE SPACES TO BRAVE SPACES: A NEW WAY TO FRAME DIALOGUE AROUND DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE”
HBR: How Organizations Are Failing Black Workers — and How to Do Better
By Adia Harvey Wingfield
White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible Knapsack: Peggy McIntosh
10 Principles of Organization Design– These fundamental guidelines, drawn from experience, can help you reshape your organization to fit your business strategy. See also “A guide to organization design.” by Gary L. Neilson, Jaime Estupiñán, and Bhushan Seth
“A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF OPPRESSION”
Martin Luther King Jr – “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Dance Theatre of Harlem, Company on a Mission > “Before Dance Theatre of Harlem,”
ARTICLES
The New York Times | By JENNIFER DUNNING
Visions of Ballet as a Multiracial Art Have Been Slow to Spread in the U.S.
National Geographic Magazine
For Decades, Our Coverage Was Racist. To Rise Above Our Past, We Must Acknowledge It
Dance Magazine
Race Across America: An Audition Tour Showed Me What Ballet Could Learn from the Art World
Dance Magazine
Op-Ed: Why We Need To Confront Bias in Dance Criticism
Dance Magazine
Op-Ed: A Radical Reimagining of Ballet for 2018
Dance Magazine
Dada Masilo’s Alternative Giselle Joins The #TimesUp Movement
Dance Magazine
Op-Ed: Is Ballet “Brown Bagging” It?
Dance Magazine
Diversity Is the New Black
Dance Magazine
Is Classical Ballet Ready to Embrace Flesh-Tone Tights?
Summary | Dutch National Opera & Ballet: Positioning Ballet
KOUW Amanda Morgan: “I don’t think there’s a dancer out there like me”
The New York Times | By BRENT STAPLES
The Radical Blackness of Ebony Magazine
VIDEOS & PODCASTS
VIDEO: DELORES BROWNE, BLACK BALLERINA
The Guardian view on diversity in classical music: quality and equality | Editorial
YouTube |TED TALKS
The danger of a single story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
YouTube | The Pompeo Method
Ellen Pompeo Gina Rodriguez Gabrielle Union Emma Roberts for Women in Television 2018
YouTube | MOBBALLET
IABD’s First Annual Audition for Women of Color HD
YouTube | MOBBALLET
Dutch National Ballet: Positioning Ballet Conference
Het Nationale Ballet danst Het Zwanenmeer in 1965
YouTube | MOBBALLET
School of American Ballet Pt1
MoBBallet Youtube
And Still They Rose: The Legacy of Black Philadelphians in Ballet
YouTube/Jay Smooth Talks about Race
PODCAST: THE NOD “CHITLINS AT BERGDORF’S” (Then click <view all episodes> and go to <August 14, 2017: Chitlins at Bergdorf’s>)
*The ballet organizations confirmed to participate in the three-year program are: American Ballet
Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Austin, Ballet Memphis, Boston Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem,
Miami City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, New York City
Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre,
Richmond Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, and The Joffrey
Ballet.