During an interview with Urban Bush Babies, the young ladies showed off how insightful they are at their young age. They discussed being awarded a scholarship, what it means to work hard, and one of their idols Misty Copeland. saying “I went to meet her,” said Nia. “She was really nice. She’s humble, a good dancer, and not cocky.” “And she’s a good influence,” Imani chimed in. “She’s not like Miley Cyrus at all.”

In a time when Black youth are rising in the arts and their voices are more prevalent in the fight for justice, Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love Of All” is quite true: the children are the future. These two young ladies are proof of that, continuing to break the mold and exist in spaces that traditionally aren’t “for us.” It’s a good reminder to see when the youth do something positive and groundbreaking. It’s our responsibility to lift them up and to encourage them to never give up on their dreams. This one is for you Nia and Imani. Broadway Black always has your back.

Check the talented duo in a video below! For more, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel here!

The post 11 Year Old Twins Receive Scholarships to the American Ballet Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

According to TIME, Misty Copeland will take on the role of Ivy in the Broadway musical On The Town. Ivy is the female lead who falls in love with one of the sailors. This role was originally played by Japanese-American ballerina Sono Osato. It was an intentional creative choice to make the ballet racially diverse, so to have Copeland step into this role makes perfect sense. 

Copeland will dance in the show from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6

“I was contacted by them and they actually wanted me to go in pretty quickly, and it was all just ‘Oh my gosh, this is not something I ever thought I would do,’” Copeland told TIME of the opportunity to dance the role on Broadway. “If I’m going to be part of a Broadway show, I think this is the one…

…It’s so strong and rich with the dancing, and it’s such an incredible role,” Copeland said. “Jerome Robbins was such an incredible part of ABT’s history, so it makes total sense.”

The musical On The Town is a 1944 Leonard Bernstein production. It had its roots in the Jerome Robbins ballet performed at the American Ballet Theater and features the world famous song, “New York, New York.”

Below, Copeland talks about her journey to this point on CBS This Morning stating “I’ve never really sung in front of a big crowd before.”

The post Misty Copeland To Make Her Broadway Debut In On The Town appeared first on Broadway Black.

The American Ballet Theatre cast a Brazilian dancer, Marcelo Gomes, in the lead role, and Gomes wears dark brown makeup to try to match his skin tone to the moor who describes sin as being “black as mine own face,” much to the chagrin of attendees.

Actor Robert Manning, Jr., penned a letter** to the American Theatre, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Opera condemning the production; he left after the first act, felt it was a “Jim Crow production,” and “will never attend another ABT production and…will encourage anyone…to follow suit.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first time in recent history that a dancer has used dark brown makeup for the role of Othello; for example, in 2002, the San Francisco Ballet used dark makeup on Cyril Pierre. And in the American Ballet’s Theatre 2007 production, Gomes used the same dark brown makeup.

One would think the American Ballet Theatre would pay a bit more attention to this indignity, as one of their soloists, Misty Copeland (the first African American soloist in two decades), has been not only incredibly vocal about race and the importance of diversity in the ballet world, but has been seen everywhere from commercials for Dr. Pepper and Under Armour to the cover of Time magazine, which has helped to bring new audiences to see her perform.

Since Othello’s race is so central to the story, why not cast a dancer whose complexion more closely resembles what Shakespeare envisioned? It is not as though there is a dearth of dancers who could not bring the passion, grace, masculinity, and commanding qualities needed in this role; Desmond Richardson, Antonio Douthit-Boyd, and Vernard Gilmore are dancers who come to mind almost immediately.

The American Ballet Theatre missed an opportunity to cast a talented Black dancer in the role of Othello. The organization cannot encourage Copeland to raise the visibility of its ballet productions on one hand yet simultaneously ignore the legions of diverse audiences who are beginning to take note of ballet on the other. It is a grave disservice to fans of Shakespeare and ballet alike.

**Read Manning’s letter in it’s entirety below:

cc: The Metropolitan Opera

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