Brown Boy Ballet

As I stand in an audition room surrounded by tall, white, European dancers with perfect turnout, I think why would they pick me? I am not what you would traditionally picture a ballet dancer to be. Let me paint a picture: I am a 5 foot seven black boy with an Afro that elicits looks of awe, awkward glances and whispers. And while I do have a certain beauty about me, I don’t have the traditional ballet beauty. It made me ask what even is ballet beauty and why don’t I meet that standard? And who created the standard anyway?
As as I delved deeper into the beauty standards in ballet, I realized an uncomfortable truth: the dancers mirror conventional Eurocentric ideas of beauty. And while there is some change, it is ever so slow. Join me as I uncover the history of ballet, its both intentional and unintentional exclusion of black bodies, and the fight for true inclusivity in the art form.
Ballet originated in Italy in the 1500s, and quickly spread throughout Europe. It is easy to see why the European standard of beauty was so covered it. It was all they had been exposed to an quickly became the gold standard, solidifying these traditional standards that still exist today.
These ideals were imported to America in the 1930’s at a time with many people of color were fighting just to be considered for people let alone, ballet dancers. Although we did have some headway in the creative arts with regards to music and tap, dancing, ballet was still untapped territory for African-Americans. Thus this further cemented ballet as an art form reserved for affluent white society.
However, in the mid 20th century, black dance companies such as Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey began to emerge, with roots firmly planted an African dance. These companies started creating spaces where black bodies were accepted and integrated into modern concert dance culture. Through depictions of African American strife, hardship, glory and a desire to belong through dance, these companies broke new ground in the world of ballet.
Despite the progress made in recent years, there is still a lack of diversity and inclusivity in ballet. As a black dancer, I have often been the only black dancer in an audition room or class. I am used to it and I work very hard to be better than my peers to prove I belong in that space. Even though I sometimes think what do I have to prove? I know I’m good enough. But it has been ingrained in me that I have to be better, that I have to work harder. I believe that this drive, fear and sometimes isolation can be intimidating, but I use it as fuel. I’m still sometimes uncomfortable because I’m only human. I’m still sometimes intimidated because I’m only human. I still sometimes doubt myself because I’m only human. But I’m a human who belongs in the space. I’m a human who wants to change with the space looks like for young men like me. It is unfortunate that people are so rigid in their thoughts and perceptions, and this is what has kept ballet mostly white and divided. As black dancers, we sometimes feel they can only be successful at historically black dance companies like Alvin Ailey, because we are fully accepted. But we should be fully accepted wherever we decide to dance.
As we approach 2024, it’s time to re-think our ideas on how to truly integrate ballet without subliminal segregation amongst ballet companies. The world is changing, and so should the image of ballet dancers. Let’s start envisioning the picturesque prima ballerina arm-in-arm with a black boy with an Afro. Can you picture it? Are you willing to? It’s a beautiful scene. It’s a reflection of our world. We live in a diverse society, and ballet should reflect that. It’s time to break the mold and embrace diversity in ballet.