Yvonne McDowell

New York Negro Ballet

Yvonne McDowell, a New York native, studied at the Ballet Theatre School and the Joffrey School. She joined New York Negro Ballet at age 15. McDowell was described as a “powerhouse of a dancer.” The New York Age described her as “pretty and talented.”

She completed suicide at 23 years old.

Sources:

Dancing Many Drums: Excavations In African American Dance, Thomas F. Defrantz
The New York Age, November 30, 1957
Ballet Troupe Sails, The New York Age, August 10, 1957

See also:

1957: Ward Fleming founds Ballet Americana/New York Negro Ballet