Carol Ann Robinson (née Wise)
First Negro Classic Ballet
New York Negro Ballet
Born ca. 1940, Carol Ann Robinson was a member of First Negro Classic Ballet and the New York Negro Ballet.
Robinson’s repertory with First Negro Classic Ballet included Harlot’s House and Pagliacci Revisited, among others.
Along with Theodore Duncan, Ardie (Guy) Allison, and Graham Johnson, Robinson joined New York Negro Ballet when Ward Flemyng and Joseph Rickard decided to merge their troupes in 1956.
She also joined Allison, Johnson, Patrica Griffith, and fellow company members on a 1957 tour to Europe. When the company lost its funding and disbanded, Robinson went back to California in 1958. That same year, she was photographed by well-known photographer Howard Morehead for Jet.
In addition to dancing, Robinson studied chemistry at City College and played both the viola and violin.
Sources:
Joseph Rickard Papers, The Huntington Library
Dance Moves: An African American Ballet Company in Postwar Los Angeles, Kenneth H. Marcus
Beach ballet, Arts Meme
Dancing Many Drums: Excavations In African American Dance, Thomas F. Defrantz
Bathing Beauty Carol Ann Wise of Los Angeles (photo), Jet Magazine