A Stranger's Curtain Call

 

What comes to mind when you think of ballet? I'm gonna go out a limb here and guess that you're visualizing pink tutus, elegance, classical music, and a graceful dancer leaping around a stage. Another characteristic that is associated with the art form is also whiteness. Since its conception in the 1500s by French King Henry II, ballet has maintained its deep rootedness in Eurocentrism and continues to be an art form dominated by whiteness. The majority of famous choreographers and heads of ballet companies are run by white men, even in 2023. Even though the industry is predominantly white, there are artists like Kyle Abraham who are paving the way for people of color (Black artists in particular) to have their seats at the table. In Simmelian terms, Abraham is "The Stranger," someone who "comes today and stays tomorrow." In 2018, Abraham was the first black artist in over a decade to create a new work for the New York City Ballet's Fall Fashion Gala, one of the ballet world's highly coveted events that takes place in New York City. World-famous choreographers collaborate with world-famous musicians and fashion designers (essentially, this event is the Super Bowl of ballet). Abraham was commissioned to create a dance for the 2018 Fall Fashion Gala and he didn't hold back in terms of boundaries to cross. In a New York Times article, he says, “It is a fear for real that if this dance fails, will they never hire a black choreographer again?” he said. “Or will it be another 20-some years? That does concern me a bit.” Abraham isn't a stranger to the world of ballet as he has created dances with world-famous ballerinas before as side projects, so he has that "familiar" quality about him, he is still entering a relatively-new territory for himself. Since his work in 2018, he has created two other world premieres for the same ballet company, showing that he's here to stay. He is bringing contemporary music into the traditional theater house and breathing new life into the art form. As a dancer myself, I'm inspired by him, because he's making strides in a world that is quite rigid. It's inspiring, and exactly what dance needs today, tomorrow, and for the future to come.