rljdance

Maybe they keep leaving because the opportunities are just not there, or maybe they do get treated differently than the other company members. I think that there are more African-American men because men in general are scarce. And maybe something is better than nothing. We think we've come so far in terms of being liberal and it seems in some things we haven't progressed at all. :shrug:

Regarding the posts about Andrea Long. I have only seen her on the cover of Discount Dance catalog. I am more interested in what you mean by the token African-American Female? Is that to imply that there can be only one African-American female in a company like NYCB or ABT. If that is so, then I am disheartened and discouraged. My daughter is 12 and has been studying ballet for 6 years and very much wants to be a professional dancer - and ballet is her preference. I have noticed that out here on Long Island they seem to discount any African-Americans as not having the correct body type, or just having no talent, etc. It seems we disappear into the background. I too have danced, as has my mother before me, and we seem to be in the minority (no pun intended) in ballet classes. This is truely a sad state of affairs if the only opportunities for African-American Females exisit in only 2 companies in NY - Ailey and DTH.