Breaking the Glass Ceiling is Difficult Already—What

About for Black Women in Classical Ballet?

Professional dancer, Miyesha McGriff, talks about her

Classical ballet is white and male. I know that is a hard pill for many people to swallow,
but classical ballet has always been for people that “fit in.” This makes it harder for
many women of color, but especially black women, to find jobs at good companies, get
into training programs, or even get non-stereotypical roles. But why?

Joseph Carman from Pointe Magazine wrote that, “Many factors contribute to ballet’s
lack of diversity: economic inequality—ballet training is notoriously expensive; a lack of
role models for aspiring dancers to emulate; a failure on the part of schools and
companies to provide support for young dancers of color on the uphill road to
professional success. And…a thread of racism.” But as black women, how can we change
this?

Worldwide, 130 million girls are out of school, and according to the World Bank, “in
low-income countries, secondary school completion rates for girls also continue to lag,
with only 36% of girls completing lower secondary school compared to 44% of boys.”
This means that overall, there is a lack of access to education for women worldwide.
When you couple that with the fact that black women are significantly less likely than
white women to enroll in four-year colleges, then you start to see why black women have
a lower chance of receiving higher dance education.
Miyesha McGriff, former professional dancer with Collage Dance Collective and dance
professor at the University of Memphis, went to the University of Missouri Kansas City
Conservatory of Music and Dance. She compared dance education with dance
experience because some dancers have tried to make up for lack of dance education with
experience. She says, “I mean I feel like my education has gotten me to where I need to
be…it got me to the point of getting my contract. It got me to the point of getting into the
company and staying there. Then the experiences are what have helped pour into me
and made me the artist. I think the education is just the groundwork and the
experiences are the important part.” Sadly, if black women are not getting the education
they need and deserve, how are they supposed to have the groundwork in which to build
upon?

Some companies, like McGriff’s former company, are trying to close that gap through
outreach programs in underserved communities. Collage Dance Collective opened its
dance conservatory to expand access to classical training to communities of color and
prepare them for collegial and professional dance appointments. Collage’s professional
dancers serve as role models and cultural ambassadors for the city of Memphis while
Collage’s conservatory programs provide a multitude of ways for the community to
engage with the fine arts. Not only do programs like this help with the lack of access to
education, but they also help in creating role models for young black women in the arts.

Miyesha says, “My favorite part of my job, I think… is that I know that I represent so
many others that aren't in the place that I'm in…does that makes sense.” Many young,
black women do not see themselves represented in major ballet companies, so they do
not think this career path is even an option for them.

So, thinking of this, why haven’t we seen more black dancers like Misty Copeland or
Lauren Anderson in principal roles at professional ballet companies? The quick answer
is the glass ceiling. The glass ceiling is a term for the social barrier preventing women
from being promoted to top jobs in the workplace. There are many women in dance
classes on stage, but the people in the power positions, such as choreographers, and
directors, are primarily men. Although ballet is woman-dominated field, there is a glass
ceiling many women, but especially black women, have to break through.

The history of ballet dates all the way back to the Italian renaissance courts of the 15th
century. Noblemen and women were invited to events where dancing and music was the
main source of entertainment. During which masters, what we now call ballet masters,
taught them the steps. In that history, men were the sole creators of the movement and
how it was done. Even now, classical ballet contains extremely strict gender roles where
men are supposed to seem strong/dominant, and women are simply followers.

Even in the career itself, among the 50 ballet companies’ 71 percent of artistic directors,
the people in charge, are men, and 69 percent of all ballet programed during the 2020-
2021 season were done by men. With the already staggering statistics of men in power
positions vs. women, where do black women fit in? It is already hard for white women to
break through the glass ceiling in a white dominated field, so it is near impossible for
black women to do the same.
As a mentor/role-model, McGriff gives advice for black women entering this field. She
states, “The advice I have for a black woman that is new to this field is that it's not easy.
You have to constantly be your own motivator. This job does not give instant
gratification. It is something that you always have to find within yourself.” She also says
that finding a source of inspiration is key in being able to continue. “Whether it's, you
know, the daily motivation of taking company class or you know there's days you don’t
feel like moving. But moving is your job, so you have to find that for yourself. It's hard,
but when you can find those moments where you are rewarding yourself, you're giving
back to yourself, giving back to your community, or giving back to a cause because you
believe in it.”

Women are always fighting to break through the glass ceiling. But certain marginalized
groups of women are having an even more difficult time doing so. McGriff states, “Being
a woman is already hard, so imagine being a black woman pursuing a career in classical
ballet. It is almost impossible.”

[Sources on portfolio]