THE EQUITY PROJECT
Dance Theatre of Harlem, The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), and Dance/USA are pleased to announce The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet, a three-year partnership program 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 21 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.
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, Cincinnati 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.
The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet held its first cohort meeting at the Dance/USA national conference in Los Angeles, CA in June 2018. The program participants will reconvene at the IABD Conference and Festival in Dayton, OH in January 2019. Dance Theatre of Harlem will host the final cohort meeting in Harlem, NY in 2020.
Supporting The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet is a highly skilled team of consultants that bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in classical ballet, undoing racism, and education. This holistic approach is designed to engage participants at the intersection of the history of ballet; broader systems of power and privilege; and practical tools for change.
The consultant team members are: Tammy Bormann, Principal with The TLB Collective; Joselli Audain Deans, Ed. D, Dancer, Educator and Independent Dance Scholar; Theresa Ruth Howard, Dancer, Dance Educator, Journalist, and Founder of MoBBallet.org (Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet); and P. Kimberleigh Jordan, PhD, Educator, Former Dancer, and Assistant Professor at Drew University.