For its annual career issue, Pointe enlists Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Ashley Murphy, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet’s Ebony Williams and the American Ballet Theater’s Misty Copeland to discuss an ongoing problem in ballet communities: lack of ethnic diversity. This isn’t…
Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre
Misty Copeland made history when she was promoted to principal dancer of the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, becoming the first African-American ballerina to reach the elite dance company’s top rank. Copeland, 32, has become an American icon, revered for her unlikely ascendance in an art…
Michaela DePrince, Dutch National Ballet
Michaela DePrince’s journey from war-torn Sierre Leone to center stage is nothing short of miraculous. Rebels killed her father when she was three years old. Days later, her mother died of starvation. As a toddler, she discovered a photograph of a smiling…
Olivia Boisson – New York City Ballet
Olivia Boisson of Queens, New York is currently the only African-American female dancer with the New York City Ballet. Established by legendary choreography George Balanchine in 1933, and housed in New York City’s Lincoln Center, directly adjacent to the American…
Precious Adams, English National Ballet
Precious Adams made headlines in 2011 when she moved to Moscow to study with the Bolshoi Ballet, one of the oldest and foremost ballet institutions in the world. As the sole brown face in the academy, Precious encountered fierce discrimination.…
Awa Joannais, Paris Opera Ballet
Awa Joannais was a standout student at the Paris Opera Ballet School before winning a coveted apprenticeship with the company last Spring. Founded in 1669, the Paris Opera Ballet company is the oldest in the world. Awa is the first woman of…
Kimberly Braylock, San Francisco Ballet
A New Jersey native, Kimberly received a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet school before earning a spot in the company in 2010. Since then, she’s toured in London and China, and danced featured roles in The Nutcracker and in Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella. In…
Jasmine Perry, Los Angeles Ballet
Jasmine Perry was featured in the Teen Vogue web series Strictly Ballet which chronicled her experience as an advanced student at the prestigious School of American Ballet. A native of North Carolina, she began her training with Charlotte Ballet (formerly North Carolina…
Francesca Hayward, The Royal Ballet
Francesca Hayward has been touted as “a firefly among moths” and “the next great British Ballerina.” The 22 year-old soloist with the Royal Ballet is being fast tracked into principal roles. Much like her American counterpart, Misty Copeland, Francesca’s brilliant dancing…
Nicole Zadra, Hong Kong Ballet
Nicole Zadra’s journey from New York to the world stage is a testament to perseverance and the power of social media. When the Bolshoi Ballet Academy offered Nicole a year-long traineeship, her excitement fizzled when she realized the $16,000 tuition more than…