Dear Fellow Dancers and Rochester Community,
Ballet Performance Group stands in solidarity with the black community always and especially in this time of crisis. We support those fighting against racial discrimination and police brutality and we recognize the injustices faced by individuals every day because of the color of their skin. We understand that the majority of our club comes from a place of privilege, and we need to listen to and amplify black voices in addition to educating ourselves and others. As dancers, we must acknowledge that most of the dance we experience and love has deep roots within black culture. We would not have dance as we know it today if it were not for the innovation of black dancers and choreographers throughout history like Pearl Primus, Katherine Dunham, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and Alvin Ailey -- just to name a few. We have collected resources on the history and influence of black dancers, which are listed below. We encourage you to learn and reflect on how black artists have contributed to the dance community.
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In solidarity,
Lia Nelson
President, Ballet Performance Group
June 5th, 2020
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RESOURCES:
Books:
“Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey” by Alvin Ailey and A. Peter Bailey
“Katherine Dunham: Dance and the African Diaspora” by Joanna Dee Das
“Digging the Africanist Presence in American Dance” by Brenda Dixon-Gottschild
“The Black Dancing Body” by Brenda Dixon-Gottschild
“Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” by Misty Copeland
“The Dance Claimed by Me” by Pearl Primus
A more extensive list of reading materials can be found here.
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Online Articles and Essays:
“An Open Letter to Arts Organizations Rampant with White Supremacy” by Nana Chinara
“What It’s Like to Perform Ballet While Black” by Felicia Fitzpatrick
“African-American Dance, A Brief History” by the African-American Registry
A collection of essays about African-American dance (PBS)
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Videos:
The Dance Union Town Hall For Collective Action: An archived meeting in response to Nana Chinara’s Open Letter to Arts Organizations (link above) and discussion about white supremacy within the dance community
“The History of African-American Social Dance” by Camille A. Brown
“Free to Dance” (Part 1) by PBS: A documentary on African-American dance and its influence
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Dance Pieces:
“WE Dance” by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre
“ink” by Camille A. Brown
“AN ARTIST’S DUTY IS TO REFLECT THE TIMES” by Jacob Jonas the Company
“I Can’t Breathe” by Marcelino Sambe
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