Pathways to Performance Choreographic Program (PTP):

MoBBallet’s (Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet) next focus is on Black ballet choreographers and choreographers of color. In keeping with our 360˚ approach to transforming the field of ballet, the Pathways to Performance Choreographic Program (PTP) cultivates and mentors Black choreographers (and those of color) who work specifically in the ballet idiom. PTP also supports contemporary choreographers interested in exploring ballet, while assisting established—but often overlooked—creators in breaking through the glass ceilings that have hindered their advancement in the dance world. Through this program, choreographers are given tangible opportunities to create and present their work on prominent stages.

Our mission is to ensure that the ballet field does not pigeonhole Black choreographers into subcategories such as modern or contemporary. PTP is intentionally designed to nurture and develop choreographers whose primary language is ballet and who create work en pointe.

PTP also serves as an incubator and platform for professional and pre-professional ballet talent, providing dancers with opportunities to engage in the creative process alongside Black creators. Participants receive personal coaching and mentorship in a supportive environment that is both mentally and spiritually sustaining, one that centers Blackness and acknowledges the realities of being Black in the predominantly white space of ballet. PTP offers a space for healing through art, helping participants navigate the cognitive dissonance of loving an art form that has only recently begun to consciously acknowledge their presence.

Founder Theresa Ruth Howard further guides participants in navigating the rapidly changing landscape, activating their activism in safe and strategic ways, and building community.

We are not unicorns. We are not alone. We are the Village.

 

Pathways to Performance Choreographic Program (PTP)

How it Started

 

Donald Byrd’s “From Other Suns” | A World Premiere Ballet from The Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center produced their first ever documentary about the process:

Reframing the Narrative: Blacks in Ballet | A Kennedy Center Digital Stage Original

Press:

Washington Post –Creating a space for ballet dancers ‘where Blackness is not an issue’

Andscape: A ‘Blackout’ at the Kennedy Center unites Black dancers from historically white ballet companies

 

(MIA) PATHWAYS TO PERFORMANCE LAUNCHES 2022

MOBBALLET SYMPOSIUM: Motivation, Innovation, Activation

 

READ ARTICLE HERE

 

 

EXCERPTS OF MEREDITH RAINEY’S BOUND

 

Pathways to Performance Fellow Portia Adams was commissioned to set a work on Royal Winnipeg Ballet Aspirant Students. She reset the work on one of her fellow dancers at Ballet de Monte Carlo

PORTIA ADAMS’ FAINTLY SEEN 

PILLOW LAB – MARCH 10-19 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Juneteenth at PBT with Corey Bourbonniere and Reframing the Narrative by Machaela Erdeljac, 

Interview: Kennedy Center showcases Black ballet in ‘Reframing the Narrative’ initiative

Press Release: Pathways to Performance: Exercises in Reframing the Narrative

Review: About Last Night…A Chance to Dream •by Marcie Sillman And Another Thing Substack Jul 05, 2024

Review: ‘Pathways to Performance’ Spotlights Black Ballet at the Kennedy Center The Georgetowner • by Hailey Wharram July 8, 2024

Review: PATHWAYS TO PERFORMANCE at Kennedy Center: A too-short ballet festival at The Kennedy Center of outstanding new works •by: Jul. 05, 2024

Working 360°:  MoBallet Dance Writers Conference


This was an extension of her 2017 Dance Magazine Op-Ed, Op-Ed: Why We Need To Confront Bias in Dance Criticism. one of the areas Howard is planning to address is that of dance criticism in the field, with the new MoBBallet Dance Writers Convening

The prevalence of cultural biases in dance criticism has historically placed artists of color in the field at a disadvantage (choreographers, dancers, directors, dance organizations of color). In conjunction to the Pathways to Performance debut. MoBBallet held the Dance Writers Convening to address racial and cultural bias and the lack of cultural competency in the field. The convening was designed to enlighten, educate, and include dance writers and editors in conversations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Howard facilitated an important dialogue about systemic, cultural, and implicit biases inherent in dance criticism, providing the tools needed to help writers and editors identify them in their work to stay on par with the shifting landscape of the field and the world at large. LEARN MORE