Racism in Dance: The Conversation Isn't Over

Ballerinas Kennedy George, 14, and Ava Holloway, 14, pose in front of a monument of Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Richmond after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered its removal.

Before Wildflower Way, before I started teaching in New York City, I was a girl with a little dance blog called Ballet with Becca. I had (and still have, just in different ways) big dreams to teach dance 24/7, choreograph shows left and right, and inspire the next generation of artists.

As I sat at home during the start of the pandemic, my social media was flooded with brave Black people sharing their experiences with racism. Their truth is the horrifying reality of the country we live in, and it's so important they continue to speak.

I made my way through the dance "blog-os-phere" during my time in college. If there was a dance Twitter account, I was getting them to share my stuff. If there was a dance teacher Instagram page, I was following. I kept up with what everyone else was saying and sharing my ideas, too.

I know there is so much toxicity in the dance world, but I was never expecting what happened in one of the biggest dance teacher Facebook groups. A group with tens of thousands of members shut down after a heated debate over whether or not Black Lives Matter should be discussed on their platform.

I can't see a space where BLM shouldn't be discussed, as Black people exist everywhere, as does racism...in every place, in every thing, in every art form.

Although I no longer blog about dance, a professor reached out to me about this specific article. I've decided to repost it and reflect on it here. Because racism in dance (and many other mediums) is still a f*cking problem nearly two years later.

June 8, 2020

Racism is a Dance-Related Issue We Cannot Ignore

I started this blog in 2016 as an online portfolio of what I have worked on and experienced as a dance major, as well as write about issues relating to dance education. The issue of racial injustice is something I have been following and [I'm] trying to uplift the voices of the oppressed, instead of lead and share my opinions as I usually do on this platform. By no means am I some saint or hero because I have been reserving my social media for these voices to be heard since the Black Lives Matter protests began in honor of George Floyd's death two weeks ago. The world doesn't need another white girl ranting about how sad it is to see racism running rampant in the United States.

With this being said, I am disheartened to see that racial discrimination is not being talked about enough right now in the dance community. Or rather, it is, and it is being drowned out by white teachers reluctant to have these conversations. I am appalled, and have been appalled, by racist and pro-cultural appropriation posts I have seen recently from the dance community. As a teacher, I want to empower my students to speak up about these issues. And I think it would be irresponsible of me to leave this issue absent from my blog when I have clearly been open to discussing every other issue under the sun. And again, I don't see myself as some kind of martyr for the cause, but rather just another teacher setting the right example. And as a teacher, I never want my students to see my dance blog- the page I started to talk about important issues- and see my silence. So here I am today, sharing my knowledge of racial injustice in dance and urging others to continue these conversations instead of dismissing and countering them.

Last week, a dance teacher Facebook group with thousands of members sparked controversy when its admins repeatedly deleted posts about the BLM movement. One of the leaders of the group came out to say that while the issue was important, this group was for dance related issues only, and not the place for these conversations.

My question is- where is the place for these conversations? As dance educators, we heavily rely on technology to connect with each other (especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic). What is the appropriate platform, if not the Facebook group designed to discuss issues relating to dance education? Why is it that if I want to discuss the best way to teach a pirouette to my eight-year-olds I can freely do so and receive helpful advice from this group, but I want to talk about how to support my Black students during these trying times, and my post is categorized as "inappropriate"?

Before the group was closed by its operators, I read a post from one of its members that highlights just a few examples of racism in dance. I have also had the privilege of studying these issues at New York University, where I am working towards a Master of Arts in Dance Education. NYU Steinhardt's Dance Education program is very much concerned with racial justice and equity, and this past year has opened my eyes to the many issues we need to talk about and work towards solving in our own communities.

Here are just a few of the issues I am aware of. There are many more that need to be discussed, but here are just some of the problems that we need to continue to bring up when dance teachers say that "this isn't a dance related issue"...

Let's talk about ballet. How many black ballerinas do you know? Misty Copeland is a definitely an important role model, but is she the only one you know about? She has also faced incredible amounts of discrimination throughout her career, starting in childhood. When are we going to talk about how classism is a major reason why we don't have diversity in dance, especially ballet? The arts in our public school systems are severely underfunded, with dance being the first program to get cut (or never even introduced) in our schools.

Even if a school is fortunate enough to offer dance, how is meeting for a class period once or twice a week going to prepare someone for a professional ballet career? It's not, and while I agree that the intention of every dance education program in the public school system does not need to be a pre-professional training program, the students that do not have the means to train in something like ballet have to get incredibly lucky. Someone in a place of privilege has to see "natural talent" in a student for that student to ever be given a chance. Misty Copeland, although she has faced many obstacles, was one of those lucky few. But it shouldn't be just a "lucky few". Classism and racism go hand in hand, so when we're wondering why we don't see more Black ballerinas on stage, we need to look at where the problems began in the first place.

Have you heard of Michaela DePrince? She was one of the students featured in the 2011 documentary First Position. In a Teen Vogue article, DePrince talks about how she was cast to play Marie (the lead role) in The Nutcracker, but was pulled from the cast at the last minute, being told that "audiences were not ready for a Black Marie". She is also just one of the many dancers told they're Black bodies don't fit the stereotype for the "ideal ballet body". In the documentary, we see her mother dying the straps of her tutu that are supposed to be "flesh color". but are clearly too light to match her skin tone. Black dancers continue to dye their own pointe shoes and clothing just to participate in productions alongside all of the white kids that can find what they need at any dance store. Imagine being exhausted from dance training all week, only to come home to dye your own pointe shoes? When you get to the pre-professional or professional level, those shoes last a week or two at best. Currently, there is a petition demanding Capezio, one of the biggest names in dance products, supply skin color inclusive pointe shoes that I urge everyone to sign. I will share it below.

And if you're not disgusted enough- get this: blackface is still being used by professional dance companies. Yes, you read that correctly. The very thing that gets students expelled and ostracized was recently used by the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia. Copeland took to calling out this use of blackface on social media, only to met with backlash. There are dance professionals that think it is not only acceptable, but NECESSARY to put on a production of La Bayadère. I don't know about you, but even if it was somehow "necessary", that isn't the kind of show I think I'd want to see.

Now, before you go writing this off as an issue exclusive to ballet, let's talk about musical theatre. I have been participating in musical theatre since high school, and went on to minor in it during my undergraduate days. Yet, the first time I learned that the use of tap dance on Broadway is racist and cultural appropriation was as a graduate student. Tap originated from African dance and the dances of the enslaved people in the United States. When musical theatre was growing in the U.S., tap was appropriated and "cleaned up". Have you noticed that some tappers dance with bent knees, leaning forward and putting weight into the ground? That's authentic tap, rooted in these African dances. What about the dances that are done completely upright, that Broadway style we've all seen in a recital or two? That's this "cleaned up" version that was taken by white people and claimed as their own. The very idea that an art form needs to be "cleaned up" is racist, and too few people that have studied tap are taught about its roots and authentic form.

Educational and community theatre productions are also not immune to racism and appropriation. You've all seen Hairspray, right? You know, the show about RACISM and SEGREGATION? Sure, it's an upbeat show and a personal favorite of mine, but the story behind the show is dark and sad. The Corny Collins Show may be fictional, but is based on shows like American Bandstand that were once segregated. Dick Clark once fought to include Black dancers on the show, but it was a while after that that Black dancers and white dancers would partner with each other on television. Musical Theatre International (MTI), the leader in licensing shows for all kinds of productions (school, community, etc.) waited until LAST WEEK (when BLM is finally becoming the most-talked about thing in the United States) to BAN all-white productions of Hairspray. So you mean to tell me that there are theatre educators producing a show that is supposed to be about celebrating diversity with an all-white cast? People really think it's okay for white people to play Black roles? The plot of the show heavily relies on accurate casting. To depict these characters any other way is incredibly irresponsible.

In 2011, we all tuned in to the reality series that would take us on an eight year journey into the world of competition dance. More specifically, we got to look at a very problematic and abusive teacher for the sake of entertainment. Abby Lee Miller, the infamous Dance Moms coach, loves to brag about how she choreographs dances about "real issues", such as suicide, school shootings, and even racial injustices. However, how quick were we to forget all of the incredibly racists things she did to Nia, the only Black dancer on her original team? Now, I understand playing to a student's strengths, Nia's being upbeat jazz and acrobatic routines at the time, especially in the competition scene. However, week after week Nia's mother, Holly, begged for her to have a lyrical solo, something Nia had been hoping for since joining the team.

Miller's response? She justifies her only giving the lyrical solos the white girls and giving Nia the "ethnic" solos to prepare her for the kinds of jobs she can get in the future, as she is Black and the other girls cannot get those roles. At fourteen years old, this somehow made some sense to me, even though I felt for Nia wanting the lyrical solos. However, looking back I'm just confused. The "ethnic solos" Nia would often do were an appropriated version hip-hop and even an appropriated Indian dance. It would have been great if Nia learned authentic African and hip-hop dances to honor her culture, but she was hardly given an authentic dance education in these styles. Also- the white girls should have been learning these styles in their true forms, too, to gain an appreciation for them and the cultures they come from. Additionally, Nia was criticized for coming to dance class in braids; Miller told Holly to "fix that hair, because it's horrible". Miller fished for excuses, but at the end of the day, she is racist. And she was given a platform to be racist for eight years afterwards.

Again, these are only a few issues of racial injustice present in the dance world. There is still so much for me to learn, and I will be continuing my education on these issues in my classes, my free time, and throughout the rest of my life as an educator. I am setting an example for other teachers to do the same. As dance teachers, we are NOT above these issues, and these issues ARE dance related. We have Black students counting on us to treat them with the dignity and respect they reserve. We can't just look at Misty Copeland's success and think our work is done. We can't just hashtag a post with #BlackLivesMatter and think the conversation is over.

History has shown us that the conversation will never be over. My generation was led to believe that racism ended with Hitler's death and the end of segregated schools; we were led to believe that racism is a thing of the past. Every Black person murdered or harmed by our criminal justice system is proof that systemic racism is very real and very much a problem. We cannot just turn a blind eye to it because we have a recital to reschedule or pointe shoes to sew. We must educate ourselves, listen to Black people's experiences (especially in our field), and follow them in the fight to change.

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A few weeks ago, a first grade student was coloring a picture of a ballerina when she looked at me and said, "I don't see a lot of Black people doing ballet". As my heart shattered into a million pieces hearing that, I gave the usual spiel about Misty Copeland and how Black girls can do anything, but I knew that would never be enough. I told her she was right, we needed more Black ballerinas. I sat there, grabbed a coloring page and a brown marker, and joined her.

I don't think I have all the answers. I don't think I'm doing some brave and noble thing by having these conversations both online and in the classroom. I'm trying to do the right thing, and maybe others could try that, too.

I'm not going to fail my students.

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Resources, Readings, & More:

Michaela DePrince's story- https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/teen-ballerina-michaela-deprince

Misty Copeland discussing Bolshoi Ballet's use of blackface- https://www.cnn.com/style/article/misty-copeland-bolshoi-theater-trnd-style/index.html

Dance Pedagogy for Diverse World by educational theorist Nyama McCarthy-Brown, crucial reading and a great resource for teachers- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30009747-dance-pedagogy-for-a-diverse-world

Marcelino Sambé from the Royal Ballet performs "I Can't Breathe" in honor of George Floyd- https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAvpYpfh3xh/?igshid=1u1ujooqf2o72

"Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race" list of resources- https://www.prettygooddesign.org/blog/Blog%20Post%20Title%20One-5new4?fbclid=IwAR1hU_No3WBVdtv3muuus1V3Phg60GadtB18GxWO7TWs2t6BrEp4KPqI_dM