Karen Valby

Pantheon

The recent history of the black ballerina has rested on the story of Misty Copeland, who by others’—but not her own accounts—seems to have arisen without precedent, in an artistic vacuum.  Valby here reclaims, lays out, and celebrates five predecessors whose stories have certainly been neglected and even lost: Lydia Abarca-Mitchell, Gayle McKinney Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, and Karlya Shelton-Benjamin.  Their singular histories, gathered up and set in the context of the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s early history illuminate the era, the accomplishments, and artistic accomplishments attained against all odds. From the societal—travelling in the segregated south in the years following Martin Luther King, Jr.’s murder, misogyny rampant, funding absent, AIDS on the horizon, and so much more—to the personal trials of child care, chronic illness and personal danger, the challenges met and overcome are breathtaking.

Riveting, heartbreaking, and exhilarating—histories to be told, retold, and built upon.

-Jane Alexandre