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black balet dancers

Letter From the Editor Update from January 2018

Inspiration Houston Ballet's Lauren Anderson and Carlos Acosta Dance Don Quixote Pas de Deux

TIMELINE ENTRIES

1846 – George Washington Smith dances Albrecht in the First American Production of Giselle
1919 – Ella Gordon opens the Gordon School of Dance NYC
1926 – Essie Marie Dorsey Founds the Essie Marie Dorsey School of Dancing (Philadelphia PA)/Mabel Jones Freeman Founds the Studio for Classical Dancing (Washington DC)
1931 Katherine Dunham Forms Ballet Négre
1937 – American Negro Ballet was Founded
1939 -Bernice Hammond founds Hammond Dance Studio, Washington DC
1940 – Negro Unit of Ballet Theatre was Founded
1941 Jones-Haywood School of Ballet was Founded In Washington DC
1946 Sydney King and Marion Cuyjet found the Sydney-Marion School of Dance (Phila.)
1947 First Negro Classic Ballet / Talley Beatty and Betty Nichols performed Lew Christensen’s Blackface With Balanchine’s Ballet Society
1948 Marion Cuyjet founds the Judimar School of Dance (Phila)/ Sydney King founds the Sydney King School of Dance (Phila)
1948 – Therrell C. Smith School of Dance is founded in Washington D.C.
1950 Arthur Bell dances world premiere of Frederick Ashton’s Illuminations with New York City Ballet
1951 – Janet Collins joins with Metropolitan Opera Ballet
1952 – Louis Johnson performed Jerome Robbins’ Ballade with NYCB
1954 – Negro Dance Theater was founded/Delores Browne, John Jones and Billy Wilson perform in Antony Tudor’s Offenbach in the Underworld
1955 – Janet Collins retired from the Metropolitan Opera Ballet
1955 – Arthur Mitchell Joins New York City Ballet/ Raven Wilkinson Joins the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo New York City
1957- Ward Flemying founds Ballet Americana/New York Negro Ballet
1961 – Sylvester Campbell, Benjamin Feliskdal and Billy Wilson join the Dutch National Ballet
1961 – The Capitol Ballet Company Founded in Washington DC/ Raven Wilkinson Leaves the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
1962 – Arthur Mitchell is promoted to Principal of New York City Ballet
1965 – Judith Jamison, Carmen de Lavallade, Glory Van Scott and Cleo Quitman perform with American Ballet Theater in Agnes de Mille’s The Four Mary’s
1966 – Cleo Quitmen performs with the Joffrey Ballet in Eugene Loring’s These Three
1967 – Sara Yarborough Joined Harkness Ballet /Raven Wilkinson joins the Dutch National Ballet as a soloist
1968 – John Jones Leaves Jerome Robbins Ballet/ Keith Lee joins American Ballet Theater
1969 – Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook form The Dance Theatre of Harlem
1970 – Sylvester Campbell leaves the Dutch National Ballet/ Dance Theatre of Harlem premieres at Jacobs Pillow
1974 Debra Austin joins the New York City Ballet/Anthony Bassae co-founds the Trockadero de Monte Carlo
1975- Lydia Abarca becomes the first Black Female on the Cover of Dance Magazine
1978 Anne Benna Sims Joins American Ballet Theatre
1982- Debra Austin hired as a Principal with Pennsylvania Ballet/Alonzo King LINES Ballet is founded
1998 – Carlos Acosta joins Royal Ballet / Rubinald Rofino Pronk Joins Dutch National Ballet as a Soloist at Age 16
2006- Eric Underwood joins Royal Ballet
2007- Misty Copeland Promoted to Soloist at American Ballet Theatre
2009- Toshiro Abbley joins the Dutch National Ballet
2011-Bruno da Rocha Pereira Promoted to Coryphée at Dutch National Ballet
2013- Tyrone Singleton promoted to Principal in Birmingham Royal Ballet
2014- Michaela DePrince Promoted to Élève at Dutch National Ballet
2015- Misty Copeland promoted to Principal at American Ballet Theatre
2016- Céline Gittens of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Francesca Hayward of the Royal Ballet are Promoted to Principal
2018- Nikisha Fogo of the Weiner Staatsballett and Claudia Monja of the Joburg Ballet are Promoted to Principal
2019-Nathan Brhane Promoted to Coryphée at Dutch National Ballet

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