The Black Swan Spreads its Wings—How the Black Creative Class Is Finally Taking the Main Stage
The other night, while enjoying some much needed down time with my pet family, I came across A Ballerina’s Tale—the Misty Copeland documentary—on Netflix and decided to watch. After about fifteen minutes, it became clear that Misty Copeland is one of the most important artists ever to grace the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, and not just because she is a great dancer. Because she is a great, black dancer.
A little background: I run a nonprofit that supports underprivileged young aspiring musicians in Philadelphia. While still where my heart resides, Philly is one of the poorest big cities in America, and the number of black citizens living under the poverty line is very high. Therefore, many of the students with whom I have the honor to work are black. They’re also talented, driven, committed, energetic, respectful, shining examples of the hidden talent that is now coming to the forefront of the social mobility movement in the arts. Misty Copeland also came from a modest background, having grown up with five siblings in Kansas City, MO. Like most parents, hers gave her everything they could, and luckily they found ballet. Fast forward to 2014, when she was the very first black ballerina to perform the coveted role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House.
Let’s quickly recap the story of Swan Lake: Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette (the “white swan”), who is under a spell that turns her from a maiden into a white swan by day. Evil knight Rothbart, who cast the spell, brings Odile (the “black swan”) to a party and passes her off as Odette. Prince Siegfried declares his love for Odile thinking she is Odette, and Odette subsequently dies because Siegfried accidentally shoots her with his bow and arrow while aiming for Rothbart, who deceived him. She dies in his arms, Siegfried drowns himself, and the spell is lifted from the other swan-women.
Now remember that Misty Copeland is the very first black ballerina ever to perform the title role of Swan Lake on a major stage. Since the roles of Odette and Odile must be played by the same dancer, we are faced with a racial dilemma. Historically, people have believed that while a white dancer can play a black role, a black dancer cannot play a white role. Balanchine’s culpability in the inhumane aesthetic ideals of today’s ballerina may be partly to blame, as was stated in the documentary, but certainly the almost invisible fairies that we see on stage were not always the norm. Growing up, I watched the Bolshoi Ballet’s movie set version of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ad nauseam, and those dancers were, as my Dad liked to say, “zaftig”. But the blame for why we are only now seeing a Misty Copeland doesn’t rest with Balanchine. It rests with us.
There are hundreds of prolific black musicians and dancers in America, and they contribute tremendously to our cultural fabric. I absolutely believe that America would never have achieved its own artistic identity separate from the European traditions had it not been for the contributions of black artists. However, with few exceptions, our best black musicians and dancers have been kept in second class roles and “in their place” by a system that equates work ethic with race. I heard about the “Jewish work ethic” and the “Asian work ethic” almost every day as a kid. Entrenched in racial barriers, it never occurred to us that those statements made by our proud parents and teachers were, in fact, very racist. Even with union regulations about screening auditions and nation-wide non-discriminatory practices, our population of black musicians in American orchestras is nothing short of embarrassing.
I watched another documentary last night about Nina Simone. Her life is a perfect example of how a black artist was kept in her place and prevented from reaching the main stage as a classical artist. Eunice Waymon (her real name) auditioned for The Curtis Institute of Music as a classical pianist after two years at Juilliard, and was rejected. She went on to perform in Carnegie Hall, but as a jazz musician. While the ability to speak the truth straight from the heart is a luxury rarely allowed in the classical world, what she dreamed of was a classical career. She was kept from it by the same racial barriers that created the myths of the Jewish and Asian work ethics. As recently as the 1950s, artists like Ella Fitzgerald were kept out of white clubs. We forget this in the age of Spotify and iTunes where everything is readily available. But imagine if there was Spotify for whites and Spotify for “coloreds”. Imagine if black artists were prevented from selling their albums on iTunes because it was a “whites only” platform. Imagine what that YOU would be missing!
When we stop talent from being properly cultivated in favor of preserving a white stage, we hurt art and we hurt ourselves. We hurt our ability to communicate our human condition and to share in each other’s heritage. We hurt young people who are looking for a bright future. We hurt our growth as a nation. When we study cultures that preceded us, we study their art. Imagine what we would all have missed if Misty Copeland had not brought her artistry to Swan Lake and The Met. On opening night, record numbers of black people attended the performance because of her. With that one incredible accomplishment, Misty Copeland created opportunity for every exceptional young black ballerina. By finally welcoming black artists to the main stage, we will change the way that America interacts with art, and that is long overdue.