CatReader's Reviews > The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History

The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby
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bookshelves: cnet

In The Swans of Harlem, author Karen Valby narrates the history of the Dance Theatre of Harlem (1969-present, considered the first Black classical ballet company), in close collaboration with several Black ballerinas who were early members of the company. The first half of the book presents the history of DTH, from its founding by Arthur Mitchell (the first Black principal dancer in the New York City Ballet) to DTH's local, national, and international tours to its years of hiatus before its recent revival. The second half of the book profiles a handful of Black ballerinas more closely, relying heavily on interviews and narratives provided by the women as they've reunited to share their legacy in recent years. Much of the book focuses on the question of why DTH and its prominent Black dancers, both men and women, haven't been remembered more prominently, especially in light of the rise of contemporary prominent Black ballerina Misty Copeland. Copeland makes an appearance toward the end of the book as she attends a celebration in honor of the DTH dancers, acknowledging that she hadn't heard of them either when she was writing a book about famous Black ballerinas of the past.

I enjoyed this read, though the cast of characters was quite large and sometimes hard to keep track of. I would love to read any memoirs that these women may write where they can tell their individual stories more fully, especially Lydia Abarca (Mitchell's star dancer with a turbulent personal life) and Sheila Rohan (who was 27 and a married mother of 3 when she joined DTH).

Further reading:
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland - Copeland's memoir on her rise to fame
Don't Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet by Alice Robb - for the discussion on unrealistic body expectations and gender politics in ballet, also relevant to this book
American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics by Kevin Hazzard - another under-recognized Black group of the 1960s-80s that's recently come to light
Third Girl from the Left a memoir by Christine Barker - I was reminded of this exquisite memoir from another woman in the performing arts during the discussion toward the end of the book about how many DTH dancers passed away of AIDS in the 80s and 90s, largely unacknowledged.

My stats:
Book 121 for 2024
Book 1724 cumulatively
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Reading Progress

June 3, 2024 – Shelved
June 3, 2024 – Shelved as: to-read
June 5, 2024 – Shelved as: cnet
June 11, 2024 – Started Reading
June 12, 2024 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-2 of 2 (2 new)

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message 1: by Jenna (new)

Jenna Great review! You read such interesting nonfiction. I’m glad you mentioned Third Girl On the Left - you reminded me I own it and need to read!


CatReader Jenna wrote: "Great review! You read such interesting nonfiction. I’m glad you mentioned Third Girl On the Left - you reminded me I own it and need to read!"

Thank you Jenna! I hope you like Third Girl on the Left once you read it -- it was one of my favorite books that I read last year!


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