The rebirth of the ballerina
history of the ballet body
Ballet emerged as an art form originated in 16th-century Italy and France. During this time period, ballet looked very different from the codified technique we see today. The 16th-century ballet was heavily influenced by the revival of learning and humanism or new learning which was the philosophical ideal of the Renaissance time period.
As Renaissance culture spread through Italy and France, French productions surpassed the Italians and became known for their grandiose theatrical productions. Thus putting France at the forefront of ballet history. This is why today we know ballet terminology to be in French and the international art form called classical ballet emerged during the reign of Louis XIV.
18th Century
By the middle of the 18th century, we see the emergence of ‘ballet d’action’ a term coined by Jean Georges Noverre, known as the father of modern ballet.
In his letters, Les Lettres sur la Dance et Les Ballets, this is where the physical body is first made reference in regard to the philosophy of the art form. Noverre said, “Regarding the training of dancers he emphasized that correctness in dance technique - it must be tethered with the sensitivity of the individual’s anatomy.” At this time it can be inferred that Noverre making reference to individual anatomy, points specifically to the ballet dancers of the time who would have been white European. This is the beginning of the foundation for a white European aesthetic for the ballet body.
19th Century
The emergence of Romantic Ballets was heavily embedded in the notions of the romantic movement. During this time, romantic ballets such as Giselle and Les Sylphide represent the narrative of the female protagonists as being “sylph-like,” referring to spirits or wilis, inhabiting the air and possessing the ability to transmute between states of being and non-being.
This aesthetic was also supported by the introduction of the pointe technique. Marie Taglioni (photographed above), one of the most notable ballerinas of this time period. I reference this time period because it shaped anatomical ideals around ballerinas, and uses language that historically was not used to refer to the black female body. The black body is commonly represented as something that is rooted in the earth, reality, and vital life force energy.
20th century
We begin to see black bodies emerging in ballet history. It is important to note that, especially during this time period the history of slavery and racism in America can be directly correlated to ballet companies further perpetuating the ideologies surrounding opportunities for black dancers.
An important assertion to make at this time is that because ballet came from a history of being developed in the monarchy in France, it has over time become an art form that is not as easily accessible to dancers that come from low-income backgrounds. The socioeconomic background of most African Americans and other marginalized communities in America during the early to mid-20th century, typically would not have the means to afford any ballet training at all much less the kind of training needed to pursue a career as a ballet dancer.
Therefore, the predisposition for the white European body aesthetic has followed the art form through its development into the 21st century.
In the codified technique of ballet, there is an importance placed on achieving this sameness, especially in the hierarchy of the ballet company. In the corps de ballet or apprenticeship roles, dancers are expected to create scenery and framing for the soloists. This is an example of the identical ideal of ballet and the foundation for the arguments defending the opportunities for black women in ballet.
Dance Theatre of Harlem, Swan Lake photo by Jack Vartoogian
The challenge to this assertion is that the identicalness of ballet is not that you literally look the same but that you capture the same movement, and embody the same intention and spirit, which can be achievable on any physical body that has had the opportunity to train extensively in the art form.
This is a common theme for black female ballet dancers who started their training prior to or during the time of the shift of the Balanchine ballerina. Raven Wilkinson is often credited as the first African American woman to break this standard and ideal (photographed above) Wilkinson is not the only black ballerina who faced this same adversity, additionally, we can look at the experiences of Delores Browne and Joan Myers Brown.
21st Century and where do we go from here
Pioneers like Wilkinson, Browne & Myers Brown opened the door for others to create new ideals and black bodies creating their own spaces in ballet and challenging the traditional white European standard.
Dance Theatre of Harlem, Creole Giselle, Virginia Johnson, 1984
However, despite the work that black dancers, choreographers, and educators have done to show that black bodies are capable of the same standards in ballet, even in the late 20th and 21st centuries they continue to face adversity in the ballet community.
One of the most prominent examples of this is the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH). Founded by Arthur Mitchell, they are credited as being one of the first all-black ballet dance companies. Despite early success, DTH disbanded in 2004 due to a lack of funding. All the dancers struggled to find work in other companies despite their clear technical prowess and proficiency as professional ballet dancers.
Christina Johnson and Eddie Shellman, DTH Billy the Kid, 1988
The few companies that were willing to hire black ballet dancers wanted them to start over again at the beginning as an apprentice or in a second company. Even though as company members of DTH, they had successfully performed many Balanchine ballets and would have been able to blend into any of the top companies at the time.
Their lack of being able to find jobs seemed largely due to the fact that they were black, many being told outright at auditions that they didn’t have the right body type. Defined as the Balanchine body type - the ideal ballet aesthetic is lengthy, lean, tall females as preferred by New York City Ballet.
In fact, we do not see this physical ideal challenged again until 2015 when Misty Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Copeland has a body aesthetic that does not match the preferred Balanchine body, being not only she is black but also her physicality was not typical for the ideal ABT ballerina.
Misty Copeland, TIME Magazine Interview, 2015
concept : The Rebirth
In providing this historical context for the way in which the Black body has been represented in ballet history, the purpose of presenting the Black body in the National Portrait Gallery is to provide a juxtaposition of the Black dancer against the gallery's ample collection of 18th-century portraits primarily representing members of the 18th Century aristocracy.
Proposed performance space
18th Century Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, London
I am choosing to engage in conversation with the 18th Century because historically this is where a lot of the physical ideals and quality of movement defining ballet first came about. It is important to contextualize that the juxtaposition I am referring to is predisposed by the notion that the Black body in these contexts has not historically represented these ideals.
The dancers would stand as a central focal point in the room on a stand or mount to mimic the look of Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, a sculpture by Edgar Degas in 1880. I like this image as it also challenges the way in which ballet dancers have been depicted in other art mediums, further perpetuating a false narrative about the ideal ballet body. The image also uses themes of living art being representative of the idea that because dance and ballet is art maintained by the living the definition will continue to change over time. Each dancer would rotate stepping down from the platform to perform the variation from Act 1 of Giselle (see below). Ideally, there would be a large cast of Black female ballet dancers of all ages and physical body types. Again, choosing to use choreography and music from the Giselle as it is one of the first well-known ballets to come out of the 19th Century and has historically been a ballet that Black dancers were not expected to be able to perform successfully.
The purpose of this performance of heritage stands as a direct challenge to the historical representation of grace, elegance, and poise and how the same terminology used to defend the rationale behind why Black bodies were not capable of achieving the ballet aesthetic can be used to support it.
My aim is to create a living installation that is representative of the past, present, and future. Placing the Black body on display in clear view of white European aristocracy and of the audience plays homage to the way throughout history the Black female body has been objectified. This is also representative of the way in which ancestors of the African diaspora have a history that has always existed alongside that of white European history and that history is equally as important to recognize that where there were influential white bodies in history and ballet history there were also influential Black bodies. This draws parallels to my reference to the present, meaning that the past informs the present in direct reference to the ballet community. Global diversity can exist in the ballet world and can still represent what it means to be a ballet dancer, without having to erase the Black body from the conversation. This demonstrates that there is a future in which it will not be a topic of conversation and that when people look back on the present day in the future museums will look like this with people of all ancestry being represented in the same rooms.
Dance Theatre of Harlem dancers perform Giselle Variation.
Giselles: Lindsey Donnell, Yinet Fernandez, Alicia Mae Holloway, Alexandra Hutchinson, Daphne Lee, Crystal Serrano, Ingrid Silva, Amanda Smith, Stephanie Rae Williams
sources
Videos
Research
Black Ballerina. (2016). [Streaming]. Directed by Frances McElroy. Narberth, PA: Shirley Road Productions
Cooper, M. (2015) “Ballerina Is Taking a Step 75 Years in Coming,” New York Times, A.1, p. 1.
Gottschild, B. D. (2012) Joan Myers Brown & the audacious hope of the black ballerina : a biohistory of american performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Lee, C. (2002) Ballet in western culture : a history of its origins and evolution. New York: Routledge.
