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black ballerina

Op-Ed: A Radical Reimagining of Ballet for 2018

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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
1868 – George Washington Smith Restages The Black Crook
1919 – Ella Gordon opens the Gordon School of Dance in New York City
1926 – Essie Marie Dorsey founds the Essie Marie Dorsey School of Dancing / Mabel Jones Freeman founds the Studio for Classical Dancing
1931 – Katherine Dunham forms Ballet Négre
1933 – Hemsley Winfield dances in and choreographs Metropolitan Opera’s The Emperor Jones
1937 – American Negro Ballet gives its debut performance / Mildred B. Haessler founds the Mildred B. Haessler Ballet Company in Chicago, Illinois
1939 – Bernice Hammond founds Hammond Dance Studio, Washington DC
1940 – Negro Unit of Ballet Theatre is founded
1941 – Jones-Haywood School of Ballet is founded in Washington DC
1946 – Sydney King and Marion Cuyjet found the Sydney-Marion School of Dance in Philadelphia / The First Negro Classic Ballet is founded
1947 – First Negro Classic Ballet debuts / Talley Beatty and Betty Nichols perform Lew Christensen’s Blackface with Balanchine’s Ballet Society
1948 – Therrell C. Smith School of Dance is founded in Washington DC / Ruth Williams School of Dance is founded in NYC / Sydney King School of Dance is founded in Philadelphia, PA / Marion Cuyjet founds the Judimar School of Dance
1950 – Arthur Bell dances in the World Premiere of Frederick Ashton’s Illuminations with New York City Ballet
1951 – Janet Collins joins the Metropolitan Opera Ballet
1952 – Louis Johnson performs in Jerome Robbins’ Ballade with NYCB
1954 – Negro Dance Theater is founded / Delores Browne, John Jones, and Billy Wilson perform in Antony Tudor’s Offenbach in the Underworld
1955 – Arthur Mitchell joins New York City Ballet / Raven Wilkinson joins the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in New York City / Janet Collins retires from the Metropolitan Opera Ballet
1957 – Ward Fleming founds Ballet Americana/New York Negro Ballet
1960 – The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Thaddeus Hayes founds Thaddeus Hayes Dance Theatre in Norfolk, Virginia
1961 – The Capitol Ballet Company is founded in Washington DC / Raven Wilkinson leaves the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo / Sylvester Campbell, Benjamin Feliskdal, and Billy Wilson join the Dutch National Ballet
1962 – Arthur Mitchell is promoted to Principal with New York City Ballet
1965 – Judith Jamison, Carmen de Lavallade, Glory Van Scott, and Cleo Quitman perform with American Ballet Theatre in Agnes de Mille’s The Four Marys
1966 – Cleo Quitman performs with the Joffrey Ballet in Eugene Loring’s These Three / Elizabeth Ann Thompson Joins Radio City Ballet Company
1967 – Sara Yarborough joins Harkness Ballet / Raven Wilkinson joins the Dutch National Ballet as a Soloist
1968 – John Jones leaves Jerome Robbins Ballet / Keith Lee joins American Ballet Theatre
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
1971 – Debra Austin joins New York City Ballet at the age of 16 / Sara Yarborough Smith leaves Harkness Ballet / DTH Performs at the Guggenheim Museum in New York
1972 – DTH gets permanent location / Anna Benna Sims joined the Grand Ballet Canadiens +
1973 – Sandra Fortune of the Capitol Ballet competes in the International Ballet Competition/Christopher Boatwright joins the Stuttgart Ballet
1974 – Anthony Bassae co-founds the Trockadero de Monte Carlo / Dance Theatre of Harlem debuts flesh-tone tights and shoes
1975 – Lydia Abarca becomes the first Black female ballerina on the cover of Dance Magazine / Keith Lee leaves American Ballet Theatre / Sylvester Campbell leaves Béjart
1978 – Anne Benna Sims joins American Ballet Theatre
1980 – Debra Austin joins the Zurich Ballet
1982 – Debra Austin is hired as a principal with Pennsylvania Ballet / Alonzo King LINES Ballet is founded
1983 – Lauren Anderson joins Houston Ballet
1985 – Noel Wallace becomes the first Black dancer with London Festival Ballet
1986 – Brenda Edwards becomes first Black female dancer with English National Ballet
1990 – Dance Theatre of Harlem dancers perform with the Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker / Lauren Anderson is promoted to principal for the Houston Ballet
1991 – Evan Williams becomes first Black British dancer to join the Birmingham Royal Ballet / Albert Evans is promoted to soloist with New York City Ballet
1998 – Carlos Acosta joins the Royal Ballet / Rubinald Rofino Pronk joins Dutch National Ballet as a soloist at age 16
2001 – Cassa Pancho founds Ballet Black
2006 -Collage Dance Collective is founded in New York City / Eric Underwood joins the Royal Ballet
2007 – Misty Copeland is promoted to soloist at American Ballet Theatre
2013 – Tyrone Singleton is promoted to principal with Birmingham Royal Ballet
2014 – Yonah Acosta is promoted to the rank of principal with the English National Ballet
2015 – MoBBallet launches / Misty Copeland is promoted to principal at American Ballet Theatre / Marcelino Sambé is promoted to soloist with the Royal Ballet.
2016 – Céline Gittens of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Francesca Hayward of the Royal Ballet are promoted to principal dancers
2018 – Nikisha Fogo of the Wiener Staatsballett and Claudia Monja of the Joburg Ballet are promoted to principal dancers

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