ICYMI: Black Ballerinas in History

In case you missed it, we shared some facts about notable dancers in history on our Instagram page in honor of Black History month. Read on to learn more about Maudelle Bass Weston, Dora Dean, Arthur Bell, Virginia Johnson, and Llanchie Stevenson!

Maudelle Bass Weston

Facts:

• Weston was the first African American Dancer to study with Lester Horton

• She studied Nigerian dance under Modupe Paris and Asadata Dafora

• She toured with Arte Folklorico de Mexico

• Weston was a member of the Negro Unit of Ballet Theate

• Diego Rivera painted portraits of Weston

• She performed with Pearl Primus

Related: 7 Dance Films to Watch During Black History Month

Dora Dean 

Facts:

• She was known as the “Black Venus”

• Dean and her husband, Charles Johnson, were the first Black couple to perform on Broadway

• It is said that Dean and Johnson were the first to use steel taps on their shoes

• Dean and Johnson popularized the cakewalks

• Dean and Johnson were the first to use a strobe light

• Dean performed for King Edward VII

Arthur Bell

Facts:

• Bell was the first Black dancer to join the New York City Ballet

• He danced with the famous Jaques D’Amboise

• Bell left his family in the 1940’s because they believed dancing was a sin

• When he first moved to New York, Bell trained under Katherine Dunham

• Bell lost all communication with his family in 1974

• In his old age, Mr. Bell couldn't remember things like where he last lived, but could recall most memories of dancing

Virginia Johnson 

Facts:

• When dancing with the Washington School of Ballet, Johnson was the only Black dancer

• Johnson has a degree in communications from Fordham University

• She founded and served as the editor-in-chief for Pointe Magazine for 10 years

• Johnson’s career as a ballerina spanned nearly 30 years

• Johnson loved performing dramatic ballets like Giselle

• At first, Johnson wasn’t sure that she wanted to take over Dance Theatre of Harlem, but she eventually did

Llanchie Stevenson (Aminah Ahmad)

Facts: 

• Ahmad was the first Black dancers to be in the Radio City Music Hall Corps de Ballet

• Ahmad joined the School of American Ballet but was denied acceptance into NYCB because she was Black

• Ahmad became the only Black dancers in the Frederic Franklins’s National Ballet of Washington

• Ahmad was one of the founding principal ballerinas of Dance Theatre of Harlem

• Ahmad introduced wearing skin tone tights to DTH, setting a standard that the company is now known for