Eleven black dancers from historically white ballet companies were commissioned by The Kennedy Center to create and perform a brand new ballet in just two weeks. This is their story…
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.
Reframing the Narrative: Blacks in Ballet | A Kennedy Center Digital Stage Original
Eleven dancers will be invited to participate in a two-week creative process through Kenndy 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.
