Raven Wilkinson and New York City Opera

Wilkinson had previously taken a class with Tommy Andrew, the ballet master of the New York City Opera Ballet, and in 1974 he asked her if she would perform in two operas due to a leave of absence of a dancer. Wilkinson agreed and danced La Traviata and I Puritani. Andrew continued to find roles for her, and she was an extra company dancer who was often called in. Wilkinson performed in every opera that had a dancing component. She danced until 1985 when she retired from dancing at 50. This, however, was not the end of her time at the opera. She regularly filled in smaller acting roles, and eventually, the business manager of the opera asked her to fill in a more regular role due to the original actor taking a leave of absence. Wilkinson took the character mime role, which ended up being permanent.

 

 

 

Sources: 

Black Ballerinas Dancing on the Edge: An Analysis of the Cultural Politics in Delores Browne’s and Raven Wilkinson’s Careers, Joselli Deans
Photo: Review/Opera; A Little Devil Who Was Too Good, New York Times

 

 

More about New York City Opera

The New York City Opera is an American opera company in Manhattan, New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013, when it filed for bankruptcy and was revived in 2016. The company’s stated purpose was to make opera accessible to a wide audience. It also attempted to create an innovative repertory full of American singers and composers.

The company was originally housed at the New York City Center theater and later became part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts at the New York State Theater from 1966 to 2010. In 2011, the company left Lincoln Center due to financial difficulties and moved into  Lower Manhattan. The New York City Opera had extensive education and outreach programs, offering arts-in-education programs to 4,000 students in over 30 schools.

During its 70-year-plus history, the New York City Opera has helped launch the careers of many great opera singers including Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes, Plácido Domingo, Maralin Niska, Carol Vaness, José Carreras, Shirley Verrett, Tatiana Troyanos, Jerry Hadley, Catherine Malfitano, Samuel Ramey, and Gianna Rolandi. Approximately one-third of the company’s repertoire has traditionally been American opera. The company has also occasionally produced musicals including works by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Source:

The New York City Opera, Wikipedia

 

Thandi Steele