February 2024 eNewsletter

Jonathan Batista Jonathan Batista makes History as The First Black Principal Dancer of the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Read Ballet Excellence Button Jonathan Batista Jonathan Batista makes History as The First Black Principal Dancer of the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Read Ballet Excellence Button Michaela DePrince Michaela DePrince born on January 6, 1995. Michaela DePrince is a Sierra Leonean-born American ballet dancer known for her technical prowess and tenacious spirit.

Read A Resilient Ballerina Triumphing Over All Button Misty Copeland The first Black Principal Ballet Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre.

Read The World’s most Famous Black Ballerina Button Arthur Mitchell American dancer and choreographer, who broke barriers as the First African American Principal Dancer to dance with the New York City Ballet in1956 – beginning a long, distinguished career. Arthur Mitchell was the co-founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem – the first major Black Classical Ballet Dance Company in the Unites States.

Read A Brilliant Ballet Dancer Button Lauren Anderson Lauren Anderson, the first African American Principal Dancer of the Houston Ballet.

Lauren Anderson’s ballet shoes are displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Read The Beauty of Ballet Button Virginia Johnson Virginia Johnson, 73, the outgoing Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem poses in one of the company’s ballet studios at 466 West 152nd street in New York City, N.Y. on Thursday, June 22, 2023.

Ms. Johnson joined the company in 1969 as a founding member and prima ballerina, returning to it as the Artistic Director from 2009-2023.

Read Prima Ballerina Button Gabe Stone Shayer Notably, Gabe was the first African-American male dancer to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in over 250 years of the school’s history Read A Captivating Ballet Dancer Button We hope you had a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Our educational program at IMAGINE… promises to strive to provide equitable access to high quality dance education for our students and their abilities when we open in 2024!

IMAGINE… is committed to improving educational outcomes for children, specifically through The Ballet. When a child is exposed to The Ballet, they are inspired to be creative thinkers and pursue academic excellence!