- In full:
- Anne Raven Wilkinson
- Born:
- February 2, 1935, Harlem, Manhattan, New York, U.S.
- Died:
- December 17, 2018, Manhattan, New York (aged 83)
Raven Wilkinson
-
Who was Raven Wilkinson?
Raven Wilkinson (1935â2018) was an American dancer who broke racial barriers in ballet. At age five, after seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, she began taking ballet lessons. Despite initial rejections, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1955, becoming the first Black woman in a major classical ballet company.
During her time with the company, she faced racial discrimination, including an incident where the Ku Klux Klan disrupted a performance. She left the company in 1961 and, after a hiatus, joined the Dutch National Ballet in 1966 as a soloist. Later, she danced with the New York City Opera. Wilkinson mentored Misty Copeland and was featured in the documentary Black Ballerina.
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What kind of dance did Raven Wilkinson perform?
Raven Wilkinson was an American dancer who performed classical ballet. At age five, after seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Coppélia, she decided to learn ballet. She began lessons at age nine and, after being rejected twice, was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1955, making her the first Black woman in the company.
During her time with the Dutch National Ballet, Wilkinson performed in works by George Balanchine and various European choreographers.
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Why was Raven Wilkinson's career important in the history of dance?
Raven Wilkinson's career holds significant importance in dance history because she was the first Black woman to dance with a major classical ballet company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Despite facing racial discrimination, including instances like the Ku Klux Klan disrupting performances, she persevered. Her presence challenged the Eurocentric ideals of beauty in ballet and paved the way for greater diversity in the field. Wilkinson's impact extends to mentoring dancers like Misty Copeland and inspiring the documentary Black Ballerina, which highlights the stories of Black dancers.
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Which ballet company did Raven Wilkinson dance with, and why was this significant?
Raven Wilkinson danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, becoming the first African American woman to dance with a major classical ballet company in 1955. This was significant because, despite her talent, she faced racial discrimination. The company initially hesitated to hire her due to concerns about touring the segregated South.
During tours, the company hid her race, but the Ku Klux Klan once disrupted a performance in Montgomery, Alabama, in an attempt to expose her. She later joined the Dutch National Ballet in 1966 as a soloist after leaving the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1961 and returning to New York City to resume formal ballet instruction.
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What challenges did Raven Wilkinson face as an African American ballerina?
Raven Wilkinson, the first Black woman to dance with a major classical ballet company, faced significant challenges due to racial discrimination. While the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo initially tried to conceal her race, the truth surfaced during a tour through the South, where segregation was still in effect. In Atlanta, she was barred from staying with her troupe in a hotel, and in Montgomery, Alabama, the Ku Klux Klan disrupted a performance in an attempt to expose her.
Despite protection from many of her peers, Wilkinson also experienced racism from other company members, including being advised to abandon ballet for African dance. These experiences led her to leave the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1961 and take a break from dance before returning to the stage.
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How did Raven Wilkinson influence later generations of dancers?
Raven Wilkinson, as the first African American woman to dance with a major classical ballet company, significantly influenced later generations by breaking racial barriers in ballet. Despite facing discrimination, including an incident with the Ku Klux Klan, she persevered, becoming a soloist with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Her courage inspired other Black dancers, notably Misty Copeland, to whom Wilkinson was a mentor. Copeland captured their relationship in the childrenâs book The Firebird. Wilkinson's story, also featured in the documentary Black Ballerina, continues to inspire, demonstrating resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
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Raven Wilkinson (born February 2, 1935, Harlem, Manhattan, New York, U.S.âdied December 17, 2018, Manhattan, New York) was an American dancer who became the first Black woman to dance with a major classical ballet company.
Wilkinson was interested in dance from a young age. After her mother, who had studied ballet, took her at age five to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Coppélia, Wilkinson decided that she also wanted to learn ballet. At age nine she began taking lessons at the Swoboda School (later Ballet Russe School) with Madam Maria Swoboda, a well-known dancer from the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia.
In 1951 Sergei Denham, the director of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, purchased the Swoboda School and invited dancers to audition for his troupe. Wilkinson was rejected twice but then, in 1955, after her third audition, was accepted for a six-week trialâmaking her the first Black woman in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She considered the companyâs reluctance to hire her as a sign that they were simply being cautious about touring through the Southern United States, where segregation laws were still in effect. Denham requested that Wilkinson not openly advertise that she was Black; she agreed but also said that she would not deny her race if asked.
By Wilkinsonâs second season with the company, she had been promoted to soloist. For two years the company successfully hid her race, and she was able to stay in segregated hotels with the otherwise all-white troupe. On a tour through Atlanta, however, a hotel clerk asked her race, and she refused to lie; she was prevented from staying with the other company members. On that same tour, while in Montgomery, Alabama, members of the Ku Klux Klan stormed the stage mid-performance, in an attempt to expose Wilkinson. The attempt was unsuccessful, with the cast standing firm in hiding Wilkinsonâs race. Following the incident, company directors decided not to have Wilkinson dance in certain Southern towns for her personal safety. Although many of Wilkinsonâs peers within the company protected her, she encountered racial discrimination from company members as well, such as being told by another dancer that her career in ballet was finished and that she would be better off opening a school focused on African dance. In 1961 Wilkinson decided to part ways with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
After auditioning for other ballet companies and being rejected, Wilkinson took a hiatus from dance. While touring with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Wilkinson, a devout Catholic, had taken time to visit religious communities. In 1963 she joined the Sisters of the Holy Nativity convent in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, preparing and discerning whether to take vows to become a nun. While there she was able to reflect on what was important to her, and she realized her passion for ballet and theater. After about six months, she left the convent and returned to New York City to resume formal ballet instruction.
In 1966 Wilkinson was invited to audition for the Dutch National Ballet and subsequently was invited to join the troupe as a soloist. She moved to the Netherlands and remained with the company for seven years, performing in works by Georgian American choreographer George Balanchine, as well as by various European choreographers. Wilkinson moved back to New York and in 1974 joined the New York City Opera as a dancer.
Wilkinson was a mentor to American dancer Misty Copeland, who captured their relationship in the childrenâs book The Firebird (2014). Wilkinson was also featured in the documentary Black Ballerina (2016), which related the stories of three dancers, the other two being Joan Myers Brown and Delores Browne.
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