The Swans of Harlem
Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
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“This is the kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!” —Misty Copeland, author of Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy
“Utterly absorbing, flawlessly-researched…Vibrant, propulsive, and inspiring, The Swans of Harlem is a richly drawn portrait of five courageous women whose contributions have been silenced for too long!” —Tia Williams, author of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarca was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company—the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a troupe of women and men who became each other’s chosen family. She was the first Black company ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, an Essence cover star; she was cast in The Wiz and in a Bob Fosse production on Broadway. She performed in some of ballet’s most iconic works with other trailblazing ballerinas, including the young women who became her closest friends—founding Dance Theatre of Harlem members Gayle McKinney-Griffith and Sheila Rohan, as well as first-generation dancers Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells.
These Swans of Harlem performed for the Queen of England, Mick Jagger, and Stevie Wonder, on the same bill as Josephine Baker, at the White House, and beyond. But decades later there was almost no record of their groundbreaking history to be found. Out of a sisterhood that had grown even deeper with the years, these Swans joined forces again—to share their story with the world.
Captivating, rich in vivid detail and character, and steeped in the glamour and grit of professional ballet, The Swans of Harlem is a riveting account of five extraordinarily accomplished women, a celebration of both their historic careers and the sustaining, grounding power of female friendship, and a window into the robust history of Black ballet, hidden for too long.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 30, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593820452
- File size: 293913 KB
- Duration: 10:12:18
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from January 15, 2024
Vanity Fair contributor Valby (Welcome to Utopia) paints a vibrant portrait of the “first permanent Black professional ballet company” in the U.S and the five trailblazing dancers who put it on the map. Originated in 1968 by George Balanchine protégé Arthur Mitchell, the Dance Theatre of Harlem featured “founding” ballerinas Lydia Abarca, Mitchell’s “prized” dancer who later landed on the covers of Essence and Dance magazines; Sheila Rohan, who performed while running a household and raising three children; Juillard-trained Gayle McKinney-Grffith, who served as the company’s “ballet mistress” and later taught choreography for the 1978 film The Wiz; Marcia Sells, who joined the company at just 16; and Karlya Shelton, who stepped in with little notice to star in the 1978 production of Serenade. The company shattered artistic boundaries even as it strained under financial pressures, the whims of the brilliant yet tyrannical Mitchell, and an old guard media that favored more renowned—and more white—troupes. Valby meticulously untangles the prejudices woven into the dance world and analyzes the politics of establishing a Black ballet company amid a period of backlash to the civil rights movement (“Let the gorgeous lines of his dancers’ bodies serve as fists in the air,” she writes of Mitchell’s mission). In the process, Valby successfully counters the perception that Misty Copeland was the “first” Black American ballerina. The result is a captivating corrective to an often-whitewashed history. Agent: Barbara Jones, Stuart Krichevsky Literary. -
January LaVoy's smooth and expressive voice is a perfect match for Karen Valby's history of America's first Black professional ballerinas and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded in the late 1960s. These five women cracked open the door that Misty Copeland would dance through decades later. LaVoy is a master at conveying the emotions wrought by the exacting standards of their sometimes dictatorial teacher, as well as the racism they faced in ballet and everywhere else. The women formed a tight unit that survives to this day. It's the many small details of their lives, along with LaVoy's performance, that paint a vivid picture of each dancer. A nice touch is the occasional voices of the ballerinas themselves (one of whom recently died and is voiced by her daughter). A.B. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine -
September 1, 2024
Journalist Valby (Welcome to Utopia) reveals the little-known story of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, its domineering but brilliant creator, Arthur Mitchell, and five of its most prominent ballerinas. Valby shares the stories of the troupe's three founding members--prima ballerina Lydia Abarca; Sheila Rohan, a mother of three; and Gayle McKinney-Griffith, a Juilliard-trained ballerina--along with Marcia Sells and Karlya Shelton, who moved across the country to join the group. Through their resilience and determination in the face of racism, injustice, and societal pressures, these women left an indelible mark on the world of ballet. Narrator January LaVoy performs the bulk of the narrative, introducing the dancers at the barre and describing their journeys as they took flight. LaVoy's careful, elegant speech captures the dancers' struggles while keeping the interwoven stories clear and concise. The credits include the dancers themselves as they recall their stories after leaving the company. During the COVID shutdowns, the former dancers joined together to become the legacy council of the 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy, preserving their stories for future generations. VERDICT Valby's groundbreaking narrative is a heartening and heartfelt account of women who strove for and achieved art at the highest level.--Laura Trombley
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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