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Debra Austin was the very first African-American ballerina to receive a principal dancer contract with a major American ballet company [3] in 1982 with the Pennsylvania Ballet. There she danced the principal roles in Swan Lake , Giselle , Coppélia , and La Sylphide .
Janet Collins, OblSB (March 7, 1917 – May 28, 2003) was an African American prima ballerina, choreographer, and teacher. She performed on Broadway, in films, and appeared frequently on television. [1] She was among the pioneers of black ballet dancing, one of the few classically trained Black dancers of her generation.
Misty Danielle Copeland (born September 10, 1982) [1] is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. [2] On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to a principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history. [3]
In 2015, Misty Copeland made history when she became the first Black principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history and the first Black ballerina ever to perform in “Swan ...
Aminah L. Ahmad (born Rosemary Llanchie Stevenson), formerly known professionally as Llanchie Stevenson, is an American ballet dancer who was the first African-American dancer at Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company, the first African-American female dancer at the National Ballet of Washington, and an original company member and former principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Raven Wilkinson became the first African American female ballet dancer to perform with a major touring troupe when she danced with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1950s. [19] In the South at this time, there were laws prohibiting Black and white dancers from sharing a stage, so Wilkinson risked her life and her freedom by performing.
Arthur Mitchell (March 27, 1934 – September 19, 2018) [1] was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and founder and director of ballet companies.In 1955, he was the first African-American dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he was promoted to principal dancer the following year and danced in major roles until 1966.
In the late 1960s, Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook created the Dance Theater of Harlem, and it quickly became a world-renowned African American ballet company. They taught both classical ballet and modern ethnic dance, so there was a blend of dance types in their performances that was uniquely African American.