The history of Black dancers in ballet is rich—but many voices and many stories have remained untold and unheard. It’s time to reframe the narrative.
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In the spirit of Sankofa, in order to understand our present and ensure our future, we must know our past.
Through Reframing the Narrative, a week-long celebration featuring performances on the Opera House stage, we recognize that Black ballet dancers have been pillars of the field for decades. We acknowledge that the artistry and leadership of Black ballet dancers has shaped ballet throughout the United States and across the globe. The history of Black dancers in ballet is rich—but many voices and many stories have remained untold and unheard. It’s time to reframe the narrative.
The week will feature multiple dynamic programs curated by Theresa Ruth Howard, founder of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet, and Denise Saunders Thompson, president and CEO of The International Association of Blacks in Dance. Performances will bring together Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballethnic Dance Company, and Collage Dance Collective along with other Black-identifying ballet dancers from across the United States to highlight the incredible work these pillar companies are doing in ballet today.
Together we will consider what ballet could look like when we gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential moving forward.
Eleven black dancers from historically white ballet companies were commissioned by èßäAVto create and perform a brand new ballet in just two weeks. This is their story. Winner of an Anthem Award From the Webbys!
As a unique aspect of Reframing the Narrative, eleven black dancers from historically white ballet companies were commissioned to create this brand new work, "From Other Suns."
Choreographer Donald Byrd hosts a conversation with Artistic Directors from Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballethnic Dance Company Inc., and Collage Dance Collective about their participation in Reframing the Narrative, a week-long celebration of Black ballet artists.
Part of Reframing the Narrative, a week-long celebration of Black ballet artists, members of the curatorial team discuss the origins of the idea for this celebration and the reasons why this work has been an urgent undertaking.
Reframing the Narrative: Advanced Professional Master Class
Thu. Jun. 2, 2022
Join The Washington Ballet's Ashley Murphy-Wilson in an advanced professional level master class. Dance master classes at the Kennedy Center offer an opportunity to take participatory classes led by some of the most talented and creative artists in the world of dance.
Reframing the Narrative: Card Party
Fri. Jun. 3, 2022
The artists featured in Donald Byrd’s world premiere commission ballet, part of Reframing the Narrative, invite you for cards, conversations, and cocktails—join us for a Card Party at the REACH!
Reframing the Narrative: Adult Open Level Master Class
Mon. Jun. 13, 2022
Join Dance Theatre of Harlem Rehearsal Director Lenore Morales in an adult open level master class. Dance Master Classes at the Kennedy Center offer an opportunity to take participatory classes led by some of the most talented and creative artists in the world of dance.
Reframing the Narrative
Jun. 14 - 19, 2022
The history of Black dancers in ballet is rich—but many voices and many stories have remained untold and unheard. It’s time to reframe the narrative.
Let’s Talk Dance: A Look Behind the Narrative
Thu. Jun. 16, 2022
Artistic Directors from Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballethnic Dance Company, and Collage Dance Collective, and choreographer Donald Byrd discuss their participation in Reframing the Narrative, a week-long celebration of Black ballet artists.
Let’s Talk Dance: A Curators’ Conversation
Sat. Jun. 18, 2022
Part of Reframing the Narrative, a week-long celebration of Black ballet artists, the curatorial team will discuss the origins of the idea for this celebration and the reasons why this work has been an urgent undertaking.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Balamouk
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Marius Petipa
Odalisques Variations from Le Corsaire
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Waverly T. Lucas II
Sanctity
Ballethnic Dance Company
Amy Hall Garner
Bluff City Blues
Collage Dance Collective
Donald Byrd
From Other Suns
Kennedy Center Commission
Robert Garland
Gloria
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Waverly T. Lucas II
Excerpt from The Leopard Tale
Ballethnic Dance Company
Donald Byrd
From Other Suns
Kennedy Center Commission
Kevin Thomas
Firebird
Collage Dance Collective
Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company in A Tribute to Marian Anderson. Dancers Joan Ayap & Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo. Photo by Robin Michal.
Artists of Houston Ballet in Disha Zhang’s Elapse.
Houston Ballet Principal Connor Walsh and former Principal Nozomi Iijima in Disha Zhang’s Elapse.
The Washington Ballet in Brett Ishida’s home-coming. Photo by JayLee Media.
The Washington Ballet in Brett Ishida’s home-coming. Photo by JayLee Media.
Kuu Sakuragi in Edwaard Liang’s The Veil Between Worlds. Photo by Angela Sterling.
Elle Macy and Dylan Wald in Edwaard Liang’s The Veil Between Worlds. Photo by Angela Sterling.
Dylan Wald and PNB Company dancers in Edwaard Liang’s The Veil Between Worlds. Photo by Angela Sterling.
As a unique aspect of Reframing the Narrative, guest curator Theresa Ruth Howard is working to give Black ballet dancers who currently perform in historically white ballet companies a singular opportunity to experience a space where Blackness is centered in the art. Eleven dancers will be invited to participate in a two-week creative process through Kennedy Center Social Impact’s Office Hours Residency Program with renowned choreographer Donald Byrd, using the music of Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon. This process will result in a 15-20 minute work that will premiere on the Reframing the Narrative program in the Kennedy Center Opera House alongside works presented by Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballethnic Dance Company, and Collage Dance Collective.
For many of these dancers, they have never experienced a ballet environment where they were reflected in the bodies around them. This creates a “one, or one of a few” syndrome that can be culturally isolating. This creative process offers a unique opportunity for these young artists to experience ballet in a balletic environment where they are not the exception, but the rule. In addition to the choreographic process, dancers will be invited to engage in artistic and cultural dialogues about the changing landscape of the field. Together they will offer their visions of what change looks and feels like, share their experiences in their respective companies, their aspirations, and learn about the long international legacy of Blacks in ballet. We are working to inundate the space with teachers and mentors who will enrich their experience together.
Ms. Howard and Mr. Byrd have carefully curated the cast of dancers. They represent various aspects of the future of ballet including artistic excellence, advocacy, and aspirations of choreography or leadership.
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
English National Ballet
Ballet West
Kansas City Ballet
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Freelance
Nashville Ballet
The Washington Ballet
The Washington Ballet
Atlanta Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet
This new work was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of Reframing the Narrative (2022) and is made possible with support from the Kennedy Center Social Impact’s Office Hours Residency program.
Conductor, Dance Theatre of Harlem & Commission
Conductor, Collage Dance Collective
Choir, Dance Theatre of Harlem's Gloria
Principal Stage Manager
Lighting Supervisor & Designer
The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) preserves and promotes dance by people of African ancestry or origin, and assists and increases opportunities for artists in advocacy, audience development, education, funding, networking, performance, philosophical dialogue, and touring.
Launched in 2015, MoBBallet (MoBB) preserves, presents, and promotes the contributions and stories of Black artists in the field of Ballet, illustrating that they are an integral part of dance history at large.
We are…only as strong as our stories. MoBBallet is telling them, 610 and counting.
Explore MOBBallet's comprehensive and ever expanding history of Blacks in Ballet.
Explore the lives of influential Black dancers across a digitally rendered galaxy of historical events, institutions, and more.
