The Real Black Swans
George Balanchine is said to be one of the founding fathers of American ballet. He sought taller dancers with proportionally longer legs and arms, shorter torso, small heads and a thin physique that bordered on emaciated. He preferred a uniform corps de ballet, with all dancers presenting the same features and pale skin. This became the standard look in the ballet industry and still evokes strong reactions.
To date, only a handful of minority dancers have ever made it through the ranks of a professional classical ballet company, with fewer obtaining a role as a principle or soloist. Outside of the many physical obstacles facing all female ballerinas - the feet, the turned out hips, the weight challenges - the issue is further complicated when a dancers skin color becomes a detriment. Of the African-American women who have defied the odds, they have remained nameless while the world applauded Gelsey Kirkland, Suzanne Farrell, and Darci Kistler. The Real Black Swans explores the stories of Raven Wilkinson, Debra Austin, Misty Copeland, whose careers have spanned from the 1950's through present date and all tell stories about the inherent lack of diversity among professional companies. The goal of this hour long film is to raise awareness of the lack of diversity within the classical ballet world and open more doors for minority dancers in the years to come.