Joining the Movement: Black Dancers in the Ballet

• In Event: 4354 - Sociology of Sport: Identities, Interactions, and Institutions

Abstract

Art can critique dominant power structures, envision liberatory futures, and galvanize people to insight change. It can also serve as a form of hegemony, wherein people who face structural inequalities are pressured to take part in a privileged group’s art form at the expense of their own cultural practices. Ballet, which has a deep history of colonialism and imperialism may be emblematic of art as hegemony. While some may advocate for the dissolution of Ballet altogether, it is not always possible to dismantle all institutions with dark histories of oppression. Thus, in the context of Ballet- a racialized hetero-patriarchal institution that is rooted in centuries of tradition, I ask- how do Black people navigate this art form, thrive in this art form, and attempt to generate change within it? To this end, I analyze interviews, documentaries, news articles, and select dance performances surrounding two cases of Black movement. The first case is Misty Copeland’s rise to become the first Black principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater, and the second case is Dance Theatre of Harlem’s struggles and success as a mostly Black ballet company in a white art form. The comparisons that I draw between the case of a Black dancer in a largely white company and the case of a Black ballet company in the context of a white institution, have implications for understanding the triumph and tolls of achieving excellence within the context of an oppressive system.

Author

• Jess Goldstein-Kral, University of Texas at Austin