They pirouetted faster, jumped higher and practiced harder and longer just to break into the white world of ballet, to show that the classical art form long denied to dancers of color could be interpreted by anyone.
Against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, a group of five young women became the swans of Harlem, dancing for kings, queens and presidents.
But their names had faded, disappearing until a new book brought them back to life.
We’re sitting down with the author and two of the barrier breaking ballerinas.
Guests:
- Karen Valby, author, The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclaiming of a Groundbreaking History
- Lydia Abarca-Mitchell, former prima ballerina, Dance Theatre of Harlem
- Marcia Sells, former ballerina, Dance Theatre of Harlem
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