The Swans of Harlem Fifty years of sisterhood, five black ballerinas, one incredible story

For fans of Hidden Figures and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

'The kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!' MISTY COPELAND

'Vibrant, propulsive and inspiring' TIA WILLIAMS

Harlem 1969; it's the height of the Civil Rights era and the community is still reeling from the assassination of Martin Luther King. Arthur Mitchell, the first Black principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, takes his protest to the stage and establishes the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Here begins the story of the five extraordinary women at the heart of this book.

Both a group biography and a story of a particular time, this is a book about ballet, the enduring allure of ballet for young girls, and about how these pioneers broke into a world that was closed to them and changed ideas of what a classical dancer could be. It is about the heart-breaking impact of the AIDS epidemic which claimed the lives of so many of the male dancers. It's about racism and activism through art. And it's about the eternal glamour of ballet; these swans appeared at the grandest opera houses and theatres, dancing at the White House, and even for the Queen. Their fans included Mick Jagger and they performed alongside the likes of Michael Jackson and Josephine Baker.

But most importantly it tells the universal story of female friendship, and in particular how these five young women formed a bond - while experimenting with different ways of dying ballet shoes and tights to match their skin tones - which still endures many decades later.

About the author

Karen Valby is a writer living in Austin, Texas. Her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, where she is a frequent contributor, the New York Times, O Magazine, Glamour, Fast Company, and EW, where she spent fifteen years writing about culture.

Summary

Both a group biography and a story of a particular time, this is a book about ballet, the enduring allure of ballet for young girls, and about how these pioneers broke into a world that was closed to them and changed ideas of what a classical dancer could be.

Foreword

The story of the groundbreaking Dance Theatre of Harlem, established by the first Black principal of the NYC Ballet, Arthur Mitchell, and five Black ballerinas who excelled despite the odds.

Product details

• Authors: Karen Valby
• Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
• Content: Book
• Product form: Hardback
• Publication date: 30.04.2024
• Subject: Non-fiction book > Music, film, theatre > Biographies, autobiographies; Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet
• EAN: 9781786582492
• ISBN: 978-1-78658-249-2
• Pages: 352
• Dimensions (packing): 16.4 x 24.2 x 2.9 cm
• Weight (packing): 526 g
• Subjects: Inspiration, Glamour, Harlem, Dance, History, Diversity, Performing Arts, Human Rights, Protest, Civil Rights Movement, PERFORMING ARTS / Dance / Classical & Ballet, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Human Rights, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Hidden Figures, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Civil Rights, Friendship, Ballerinas, New York City Ballet, Racism, Activism, Choreography, Legacy, Ballet, Social and cultural history, Pioneers, Black History, c 1954 to c 1968 (era of the American Civil Rights Movement), Human rights, civil rights, Stage, Perseverance, Relating to African American / Black American people, female friendship, hidden history, women in history, dancers, Dance History, Civil rights era, Women's empowerment, History of Dance, black american history, Classical Dance, ballet stories, American Civil Rights, Ballet and racism, Women in ballet, Black ballerinas, theatre biographies, Harlem 1969, African American dancers, Ballet activism, Ballet biographies, History of Ballet, Actor & Entertainer biographies, Diversity in classical ballet, Cultural representation in dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Arthur Mitchell, Classical dance pioneers, AIDS epidemic impact