Saunders Thompson, explained that each company on the program brought audiences their own unique brand of ballet. Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem represented classical ballet, while Collage, she says, presents a more contemporary version of the classical art form. Ballethnic, then, included classic ballet technique, but incorporated influences of high-energy African dance.
“Being young and Black always felt like it was a burden in ballet because there’s so many doors that we had to literally force our way into. Even during my training at North Carolina School of the Arts, people would ask, ‘Why are you here? What makes you special? You’re not going to get the same roles because these roles are relegated to white women,’” Gilreath said. “Now, after the George Floyd reckoning, a lot of attention has been placed on diversity, but I don’t know if it’s always genuine.
“This is an ongoing saga, and a very cyclical conversation, because many of us have talked about he same ideals for many years. In my college years, it was multiculturalism, or blind casting,” said Saunders Thompson. “But, here is a commitment by many. The field in general has a long way to go, because dance is reflective of what’s happening in our country.