Tapfan

Does it really matter what Balanchine would have thought? One of the marks of great art is that it is open to all types of interpretations that go beyond what even the creator might have imagined.

Also, I find it interesting that one of the more "wooden" versions of this piece was danced by Cojocaru, who is known for her grace and musicality. But that evidently is how she saw the choreography.

It all boils down what what you like.

Don't forget

I like that.

I thought Copeland looked light and quick in Tchai Pas, and compared quite favorably to many famous ballerinas that have danced the role. That includes Darcy Bussell, Maria Nunez, Alina Somova, Svetlana Zakhorova and Alina Cojocaro. She even looked good when compared to McBride, who was admittedly past her prime in the video I saw.

The annoyance Copeland generates seems to be so over-the top to some of us.

If there's one thing I've discovered about ballet fans it's that people have their pets and prejudices the same as in any other art form.

I thought the piece she danced from Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de deux at the Kennedy Center Honors was lovely. And I swear that it looks like Patty McBride says "perfect" while she applauds the performance.

If she doesn't seem to think Copeland is so out of her depth when dancing the great man's work, then perhaps Copeland's supposed limitations are more subjective than her detractors are willing to admit.

I understand that people can hate Copeland for reason's that have nothing to do with race. But people can like her as well for reasons that transcend race. Some folks, who are actually knowledgeable about ballet, seem to think she's talented.

Go figure.

I had the great good fortune to see the Joffrey's Nutcracker on December 27th. I found the production to be uniformly charming in every aspect, from the orchestra, to sets and costumes to child acrobat/dancers.

But the most memorable thing about the production for me, was Fabrice Calmels as the Nutcracker Prince. The man moves his noble, seemingly endless legs with a grace that is not to be believed. He's a strong and attentive partner with the charisma of a rock star.

When he's dancing, it's hard to watch anyone else.

'Scuse my fangirling, But I can't help it. I'm in love.

Lauren Anderson made principal at Houston Ballet, Tapfan. (After all your opining you still haven’t bothered to inform yourself?) People much more knowledgeable than I think others should have been elevated to soloist or principal. Plenty of others, no doubt, if they'd had chances early on.

If you have knowledge of wealthy donors who expect ballet to look like the Mariinsky in 1965, or reasons to think they do, I’m all ears. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but that's just reverse prejudice. But whenever I've ask you for knowledge or viewing experience, I've come up short.

I know that Lauren Anderson and Tai Jimenez both danced as principals in major U.S. companies.

That's good, because what you wrote is that

we're not buying the explanation that no black woman has ever been good enough for the principle ranks.

I didn't explain myself very well. I meant in a major international company. Heck, if one is counting all companies, then you have to include DTOH and other mostly black companies as companies where black women have the position of principle if not the actual rank.

she's been a trailblazer for people like

I would not attribute Misty being a trailblazer for many of the dancers you mentioned in the manner I believe you to mean. (Addison, DePrince, Rowser, Perry, etc.) While I am sure all the dancers mentioned admire Misty and are supportive of her successes, even applauding them and looking up to her. It is important not to assume that Misty has somehow helped these dancers land where they are or that she has made the way for them. They have done so at the same time Misty has been on her journey. Let's not lessen their individual successes by making those Misty's doing.

It is also important to note the number of African American women dancing in unranked companies. In reality, those women will be the ones who make change. If every African American female dancer is not satisfied until they reach ABT or NYCB, then we will lose a generation of dancers who could be working dancers somewhere turning one voice into many. This in the interim of having a ground swell of more dancers of color training for classical ballet.

When I say that Misty is a trailblazer, I mean that her high profile is helping people, especially little black girls, get used to the very thought of black women in ballet.

The success these women have had is of course, due to their own talent and drive.

Lauren Anderson made principal at Houston Ballet, Tapfan. (After all your opining you still haven’t bothered to inform yourself?) People much more knowledgeable than I think others should have been elevated to soloist or principal. Plenty of others, no doubt, if they'd had chances early on.

If you have knowledge of wealthy donors who expect ballet to look like the Mariinsky in 1965, or reasons to think they do, I’m all ears. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but that's just reverse prejudice. But whenever I've ask you for knowledge or viewing experience, I've come up short.

I know that Lauren Anderson and Tai Jimenez both danced as principals in major U.S. companies. But they're both retired. And Tai probably wouldn't have had her one year as principal at Boston Ballet if DTOH hadn't gone on hiatus.

Yet unfortunately, no black woman has danced as principal with either of the so-called American Big Three - SFB, ABT or NYCB. And none of the most prestigeous international companies like The Royal Ballet, Parish Opera Ballet, The Bolshoi, The Mariinsky, The Royal Danish Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada or The Dutch National ballet has had a black woman in the principal ranks.

I know that great ballet dancing goes on at places other than those well-known companies. And high profile aspiring black dancers like Shannon Harkness have said that their research into hiring of black classical dancers in the U.S., shows that chances for black dancers to get employed are greater in regional companies.

Katelyn Addison at Ballet West, Kayla Rowser at Nashville Ballet and Dara Homes and Erica Edwards at Joffrey ballet are encouraging examples.

But just as it was a big deal for Leontyne Price to be the first black woman to sing a lead role at La Scala, it would be a big deal for a black woman to dance as a principal with a major international company. And if given the choice, MOST women of any color would rather be on the world stage.

After all, Carlos Acosta could have remained at Houston Ballet and before that , he could have stayed at National Ballet of Cuba. But he saw each move as a chance to be seen on a bigger world stage.

Even if she never becomes a principal, she's been a trailblazer for people like Katelyn Addison, Michaela DePrince, Precious Adams, Jasmine Perry, Kimberly Braylock and Kayla Rowser.

And god knows Precious Adams can dance Petipa.

At last night's condo association party here in DC, I had a chance to 'talk ballet' with circle of fellow condo members, mostly African American ladies. Please believe me when I say that most of my dear neighbors think that Misty is THE star of ABT. They have no conception of the difference between Principal and Soloist...I.e., Misty is the one who is talked about so she is the star.

I certainly wasn't going to break their hearts and reveal the difference. Misty is THE star and that's all there is to that, in their minds. (Even their husbands know who is Misty Copeland.)

Everybody is clamoring for tickets to one of Misty's two SWAN LAKE performances with Washington Ballet in April, although they've been sold out for a long time.

LOL! Misty may not be "famous" famous, but as Chris Rock would say, for aspirational black people, she's certainly "black famous!"

I totally get that ballet is hard. I get that it's difficult even if you are a woman who is so white that you make the British royal family look like they are from the developing world. But let's be honest, Being white in ballet has never been something that put you at a disadvantage.

Those of us who are impatient about its lack of diversity don't want unqualified black women to be promoted. That's tokenism at it's worst.

But we're not buying the explanation that no black woman has ever been good enough for the principle ranks. Lack of acess to good training doesn't explain everything. Nor do the idiosyncratic tastes of artistic directors..

I don't think most artistic directors are racist so much as artistically myopic. They are just more comfortable with the familiar.(See Peter Martins) They probably don't want to rock the boat with wealthy donors, many of whom expect ballet to look like the Mariinsky in 1965. Also, AD's probably don't see themselves as social crusaders for diversity. They just want to put on a good show. I understand and sympathize.

But for those of us who see strength and beauty in diversity, the lily whiteness of ballet just seems so yesterday. Diversifying ballet won't make it as popular in the U.S. as it is in Russia. But it will make it richer.

Finally, I promise you that all my complaining isn't because I think Misty is the be-all or end-all of black female ballet dancers. She's just the most visible symbol.

I agree Plisskin. The election of Obama doesn't mean everything is peachy. Things are better than they were but not as good as they should be.

That includes attitudes in ballet.

But on the list of things that are important to minority communities, racial representation in ballet that mirrors the American population is very close to the bottom of the list. As it should be.

Thanks for the links. I know about these dancers but neither is in the senior ranks. It's hard to follow the careers of of people in the corps de ballet.

It is difficult for any woman to advance past the corps in a ballet company. First off the odds of getting into a major ballet company are small then the odds of advancing are even smaller. Copeland got into ABT because of her talent (she even turned down KM's first invitation to study full time at the school), she was promoted to soloist because KM thought her soloist material. Since that time she's built an audience for herself through self promotion. Audiences go to see her because of her various TV appearances etc. If/when she becomes a principal dancer we and she will never be sure of why.

Ballet's PR problem? Mainstream press gravitates to drama not quality. I don't expect the mainstream press to report on ballet anymore than I expect reporting on opera, concert music or quality independent films. Unless there is some kind of incident (singer gets fired for being too fat for the costume) the mainstream press is busy reporting on the latest scandalous behavior of an actress, actor or politician.

I know that people who have the goods to be ballet dancers are rare. Just like pro athletes. I get it. It's just that there are almost 40 million black people in the U.S. Even if the number of people with the access, interest and drive is much lower than in the white populace, you'd think there would be more than the handful that we know about.

I know that none of the classical performing arts will ever have the attention of popular arts. But there have been times when it was better than it is now. People who didn't know anything about ballet were interested in Baryshnikov.

Are there any other black women in predominently white companies who have advanced past the corp de ballet?

Yes. At this point in the discussion, the more pertinent question is which black women you have seen dance ballet whom you feel should have advanced further than they have. Make your case for them based on what you’ve seen – if you can. You allege discrimination. Names please – if you have any. “Everyone knows black people are discriminated against, so dancers are too” is not an answer. No one disputes that they have been, but you allege that that are now. Perhaps so. Someone somewhere, no doubt, and that’s a terrible shame. But you imply widespread and systematic racism. Please demonstrate it based on personal knowledge.

I'm not alleging anything. I'm asking a question. You're the one who's being defensive. I was asking because I honestly wanted to know if there were any other black women in senior positions.

Are there any other black women in predominently white companies who have advanced past the corp de ballet?

I know that Tanya Howard at National Ballet of Canada is a soloist, but I'm not sure she identifies as black. Also, all the relatively well-known female, black, classical dancers seem to dance for Dance Theater of Harlem.

As I've said many, many, MANY times, it's not that black folks who like concert dance are just madly in love with Misty to the exclusion of any other black female dancers, it's just that she is the ONLY one with any visibility. And even her visibility wouldn't exist if she didn't market herself so relentlessly.

Ballet has a PR problem if the only way they get attention from the mainstream press is when an AD at a major company gets acid thrown in his face or a black woman dancer continually points out that not a single black woman has ever been a principal dancer at one the most famous companies.

It makes ballet sound like this weird little cult.

Since A Raisin in The Sun debuted on Broadway in 1959, the relevance of the line you quoted from the play in 2014 America, where a black president is serving his second term, is certainly debatable, but that's a topic too far afield from ballet.

I think the election and reelection Of President Obama has revealed both advancements in race relations AND the existence of stubbornly outdated racial attitudes. The fact that the president's very citizenship has been and continues to be questioned, shows that some people are simply unwilling to accept him as the legitimate Leader of the Free World.

Such attitudes have an effect on the ballet world because no art form, not even ballet exists in a vacuum.

I really wish there were more high profile female African American ballet dancers. I appreciate that Misty is turning many black girls on to ballet but I want to hear from other black women. I also want to hear from them as they speak about the art and not about being a black woman in that art. Trouble is, there are so few and none have senior positions at major companies. So who cares?

I don't think that the criticism of Misty is based on race. If Stella Abrera, Sarah Lane or Isabella Boylton posted a topless photo while at the same time portraying themselves as role models for little kids and visiting youth centers people would have the exact same concerns.

There has been plenty of criticism of Copeland not just about this photo issue, but also along more race specific lines. I brought up racism here specifically in response to KFW's cries of woe is me, people are trying to paint me as racist and sexist.

Also it may be picking nits, but let us be accurate. The photo is risque, you can see nipple, but it is not a topless photo:

http://cocoafab.com/new-show-alert-misty-copeland-to-mentor-future-ballerinas-on-new-reality-series/

I guess I have become desensitized to things that many people find offensive or just tacky. Living in a world with Miley Cyrus, Nikki Minaj and Kim Kardashian can do that to ya.

I think the photo is beautiful and sexy in a tasteful way.

YMMV.

The photo of Ferri is more tasteful and less obvious than Copeland's photo. Copeland previoulsy had a photo where she was completely topless, but then removed it. I think you have mischaracterized what YID and kfw are saying. Is it necessary for a woman to send out topless photos of herself in order to prove that she is not ashamed of her body? I don't think so. That's not empowerment of women. It's the same sort of objectification of women that has been going on for a long, long time. Misty is sending out a message that in order to get ahead you should use your sexuality to advance and get attention. It's the absolute wrong message to be sending out to young girls. Empowerment comes from merit and strength, not objectification and willingness to display your boobs to the world.

I co-sign your post re the Beyonce of ABT. There have been more, eh hem, prurient photo spreads of dancers. For example, I remember Guillem's full nude split pose in French Vogue when she was in her prime, and the discussion that prompted at the time. I think that the culture as a whole is becoming desensitized, where nothing shocks anymore. As far as Misty's artistry is concerned, no amount of skin exposure can back that up. Misty isn't another Stephanie Dabney or Virginia Johnson, two pioneering ballerinas who were indeed role models for their race.

"Role models for their race." Yikes. That sounds pretty retro.

I don't think there can be such a thing as a one-size-fits-all role model for an entire race. Is Tiler Peck a role model for all white classical dancers?

Misty gets most of the attention because she pursues it. HARD. But there's room to notice other black female classical dancers. And the importance of modesty in a role model, is quite subjective.

I wish interviewers would ask new and more interesting questions. We've been hearing the same things from Misty for ages.

Misty has been appearing at dance festivals for years. This is nothing new. And I dare say that she has white fans who want to see her not because she's some unicorn, but because they like her dancing.

Also, most black people are middle or working class. Not everyone lives in the ghetto and not everyone depends on public transportation.

Why are they putting away this version of the Nutcracker?

Squires is also on the advisory board to Project Plie'.

Tapfan wrote

Where was the outrage about the attention paid to these artists?

Well it wasn’t coming from me, because I stopped listening to contemporary pop years before their time. Also, where’s the “outrage” about Misty Copeland? OK, to be fair, I’ve seen it on another site. But not here.

But some black critics pointed out the fact that they were paying so much attention to these too artists because they wanted to prove that they actually cared about black musicians while, they proceeded to ignore 99 percent of them.

Prove? Maybe they just didn’t like that much black pop of that era. Is that racist? Did black critics like second and third tier white stars? I have a white friend who was so upset when Michael Jackson died that he couldn’t go to work the next day, but give me Otis Redding or Miles or Monk or Muddy instead. Or Eric Owens. Appreciating diversity doesn’t mean loving everything equally. No one does that, or can – or should have to. Diversity entails accepting diversity of taste too. I think that’s the ideal.

I don't think they were saying these white critics were racist. I think they were implying something far less sinister. They were implying that they were artistically and sociologically myopic.

Black critics were annoyed that white critics could find time to cover the most obscure and marginally talented or relevant white male bands if those bands had an indie cache, but they couldn't be bothered with anyone else.

Some black critics felt that excessive praise of Prince and MJ was being used to mask that fact that some of those guys had a very narrow appreciation of pop music and couldn't be bothered to notice anyone else.

Being a pop music critic that only cares about certain types of pop music, is like being a movie critic who hates certain types of movies. How can they be expected to judge fairly?