George Balanchine’s ballet, The Nutcracker, is a crowd favorite during the holidays. However, New York City Ballet’s performance on December 10th of 2023 was specifically important and groundbreaking.
A member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet, India Bradley, made history as she gracefully danced the major role of the Dewdrop in The Nutcracker. This ballerina’s accomplishment may not seem very fascinating, but it will have such an important impact on the future of ballet. Bradley is the first black ballerina to dance the role of the Dewdrop in NYCB history.
New York City Ballet is extremely prestigious, and so is the ballet industry as a whole, so the recognition of Bradley’s extreme precision and skill is truly a special moment in history. Her feat is a sign that the ballet industry is finally becoming more inclusive.
Historically, the art of ballet has been predominantly white, as it was born in Italy as entertainment for white nobles. Ballet is an artform that has fallen way behind when it comes to diversity and inclusion. This idea is clearly backed up by ballerinas today, who still struggle to find pointe shoes that match their skin tone.
It is not commonly known that tights and pointe shoes are usually meant to match the dancers’ skin tone because the idea of pink tights, often marketed as nude, is so ingrained in our minds. Brown ballerinas have to go out of their way to dye or paint their pointe shoes because until just recently, darker pointe shoes have not been widely available. A common practice for ballerinas with darker skin tones is a method called pancaking, which is to buy pink pointe shoes then coat them in a foundation that matches their skin tone.
The ballet industry is slowly improving as some dancewear brands have begun offering a more diverse range of shades in pointe shoes. A few mainstream dancewear brands that fit in this category include Bloch, Russian Pointe, Capezio, and Freed of London.
India Bradley’s stunning performance serves as proof of the art of ballet becoming more inclusive and her achievement is sure to inspire ballerinas of all ages and colors to never give up on their dreams.
