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- Black women have been traditionally underrepresented in ballet. In the 15th and 16th centuries, ballet began in Italian Renaissance courts, where it was largely dominated and influenced by the aristocracy. Ballet later spread to France and was developed under Louis XIV. After the first professional theatrical ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet, was established in 1669, ballet spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Ballet eventually arrived in the United States, and by 1933, the San Francisco Ballet, the first professional ballet company in the United States, was founded. When ballet came to the United States, the demographic makeup of dancers was predominantly wealthy and white. However, ballet has grown increasingly diverse in recent years, as professional ballet companies have increased representation of dancers of color. Specific companies aiming to nurture Black ballet dancers and foster diversity have been established, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Initiatives such as Project Plié, started by the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), also aim to tackle diversity issues in ballet by broadening access to dance education for children of color, increasing diversity in dance administrative positions, and working in partnership with other professional ballet companies as well as Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Nonetheless, ballet remains heavily white, and Black dancers generally face more barriers and greater discrimination in ballet compared to other forms of dance like hip-hop, modern, and jazz. Further, while Black dancers as a whole are underrepresented in ballet, Black female ballet dancers face significantly greater challenges than Black male ballet dancers, in part because there is generally a greater demand for male ballet dancers than female ballet dancers. (en)
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| rdfs:comment
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- Black women have been traditionally underrepresented in ballet. In the 15th and 16th centuries, ballet began in Italian Renaissance courts, where it was largely dominated and influenced by the aristocracy. Ballet later spread to France and was developed under Louis XIV. After the first professional theatrical ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet, was established in 1669, ballet spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Ballet eventually arrived in the United States, and by 1933, the San Francisco Ballet, the first professional ballet company in the United States, was founded. (en)
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