This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Five years ago, Atlanta Ballet and 20 similar-sized ballet companies made a pledge to increase racial diversity in the ballet world — specifically, to increase the presence of Black individuals throughout their organizations.
Pressure on the company has since been high. Atlanta’s population is nearly 50 percent Black, and the city is considered the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. Many in the community believe the city’s signature dance company should better reflect these realities. As with similar-sized U.S. ballet companies grounded in Eurocentric traditions, progress has been slow.
But finally, the results of years of work will begin to show onstage. With its late August announcement of new dancers and promotions for the 2023-24 season, artistic director Gennadi Nedvigin said that three Black women and one Black man have joined Atlanta Ballet 2, a professional training company at the top level of the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education.
Across the 39-member company and the 17-member Atlanta Ballet 2, eight dancers now identify as Black.
This is a big step toward fulfilling its “commitment to diversity and representation and continuing to address historical inequities in the field of ballet,” the company said in a press release.
The new recruits are part of a total of 15 dancers from a variety of backgrounds.
Charlie McCullers
Charlie McCullers
“We’ve brought together a cohesive group of individuals with versatile styles from completely different parts of the world, with all of them united in creating something extraordinary here in Atlanta,” said Nedvigin. “It’s important to bring artists into our company who can demonstrate a unity of execution, in steps and artistry. The upcoming season showcases very challenging work in which no choreographer’s style repeats itself, and our audiences will soon see just how capable these dancers are.”
Getting this far hasn’t been easy. Atlanta Ballet has struggled to attract and retain Black dancers. The company has doubled down to support students facing social and economic barriers through its Decade 2 Dance scholarship, a 10-year commitment to support young dancers’ training.
In addition, Tom West, executive director of Atlanta Ballet, has looked at inflection points in young dancers’ development. Atlanta Ballet’s school often loses top pre-professional students to college, especially those from underrepresented communities. So West cut the main company’s low-paying apprentice level. All entry-level company members now earn a living wage. West hopes this will show young dancers that ballet can offer a viable career path.
Since West cut the apprentice program last year, four Atlanta Ballet 2 dancers have been promoted straight into the company. Those promotions created openings in Atlanta Ballet 2.
Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet
Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet
“We now have four Black ballerinas in AB 2,” said West. They are Camille Jackson, a Decade 2 Dance scholarship recipient; Ashley McKoy, who trained at Dance Theatre of Harlem and Atlanta Ballet’s school; Rachel Zinman, a graduate of the National Ballet of Canada’s school; and Emma Sophia Robinson, who joined Atlanta Ballet 2 last season. Together with Ícaro Queiros, a new male dancer from Brazil, they comprise a total of five Black dancers in the second company.
The five are slated to appear in “The Nutcracker” and in Bruce Wells’ new production of “Cinderella.” They are likely to appear in “La Sylphide” and “Coco Chanel — the Life of a Fashion Icon.”
Sharon Story, dean of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, said the achievement has required concerted efforts at home and abroad.
“It’s a long process of cultivating and finding the types of dancers suited to the demands of performing on our stage,” said Story, who is especially proud when Decade 2 Dance recipients rise into Atlanta Ballet 2.
While Story, Nedvigin and their team have monitored students at home, they have recruited dancers in cities ranging from Boston to Chicago and from New York City to San Francisco. Atlanta Ballet has hosted auditions and has attended competitions in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy and Japan. In addition, they reviewed more than 1,000 audition videos.
The ballet world is known for having work environments that are unhealthy because of cultural norms that have pervaded it for centuries. It’s a system built on European hierarchies, led predominantly by white men, where dancers have little individual agency. In order to succeed, dancers must conform to near-impossible standards for their bodies, their mindsets and their technical skills — not to mention the pain of dancing on pointe — while neither questioning the actions of people who are in power nor the system that keeps them there.
Story has worked to make the environment more welcoming for young dancers, particularly those who come from underrepresented communities. Atlanta Ballet has consulted advisers, such as Christina Johnson, a former principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem, who frequently guest-teaches in the school.
Story has led the development of an initiative called “Educate. Motivate. Elevate,” which involves group mentorships with Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education faculty and company dancers and regular conversations on building a supportive, healthy environment in the studios, Story said.
“Course content has been designed with discussions and activities leaning into DE&I and bringing one’s authentic self to experiences in the studio and in life,” she said.
West has initiated conversations with dancers and staff, asking them to contribute ideas toward future planning. Some of those ideas, such as a two-week run for “Coco Chanel,” have gone into the proposed strategic plan, a process that gives dancers and staff a sense of agency and could make Atlanta Ballet more attractive to top-level dancers.
Nedvigin said the company aims to pursue artistic programming that resonates and reflects the diversity of the city the company represents. He cited a commission this season from Claudia Schreier, the ballet’s choreographer-in-residence, who is African American and whose work incorporates contemporary jazz. Nedvigin also mentioned Garrett Smith and Black choreographer Juliano Nunes, adding, “Their performance aesthetics and approaches promise to resonate with the vibrant culture of our city.”
The new recruits show promise, but the track record for retention is mixed. It will be interesting to see who among the new Atlanta Ballet 2 dancers will rise into the main company after two years and who may have the special ability to carry a full-length ballet as principal dancers. The emergence of the elusive ideal — a mature and experienced Black ballerina — is closer than it has been in years.
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Editor-at-large Cynthia Bond Perry has covered dance for ArtsATL since the website was founded in 2009. One of the most respected dance writers in the Southeast, she also contributes to Dance Magazine, Dance International and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has an Master of Fine Arts in narrative media writing from the University of Georgia.
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