Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Greene Space at WNYC and WQXR Presents EMANCIPATION 150: BLACK SWANS Black Women in Classical Ballet Monday, March 4 at 7pm

Raven Wilkinson

Virginia Johnson

Ashley Murphy

Misty Copeland

An Evening of Conversation and Dance presented in
Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

(New York, NY – February 13, 2013) – "Where are all the Black Swans"? Gia Kourlas asked in The New York Times in 2007.  “While other minorities have made inroads in classical ballet,” she continued, “the complicated reality of racial inequality persists, especially for black women."

On Monday, March 4 at 7pm, The Greene Space at WNYC and WQXR presents BLACK SWANS: BLACK WOMEN IN CLASSICAL BALLET, a panel discussion with African American classical ballet legends and luminaries that seeks answers to this still-relevant, still-burning question. A live video webcast will be available at www.thegreenespace.com.

Joining the conversation will be Virginia Johnson, Dance Theatre of Harlem Artistic Director and Founding Principal Dancer, who responded to Kourlas’s question a few years later by declaring that “Black Swans are still too rare”; Raven Wilkinson, Legendary Ballerina formerly of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and character actress for the New York Metropolitan Opera; Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre Soloist; and Ashley Murphy, Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Ballerina.  

Charisse Jones, award-winning journalist, author and essayist, will moderate a conversation that will explore the individual stories of each woman as well as universal narratives about the intersecting and contradictory artistic, aesthetic and cultural elements that have shaped and continue to shape the world of ballet. Audience members will hear the complex journey that these women have danced on and off the stage.

The evening will also feature a brief performance by members of the new Dance Theatre of Harlem Company.

"The dancing body has always been a space for resistance, expression and a conduit for the transfer of cultural information,” said Indira Etwaroo, Executive Producer of The Greene Space and Producer of the Emancipation 150 Series. “The Greene Space is proud to convene these incredible women who have forged a path through creative expression that has resonance and relevance in the world of dance and beyond. As we explore the ongoing work of freedom with the EMANCIPATION 150 series, these luminaries share their individual journeys that illuminate universal truths that flow through our daily lives, and that shape the future.”

Tickets are $15 and are available at www.thegreenespace.org.

 For further information on the Emancipation 150 series and to see an engaging online timeline of significant moments in African American history, please visit: http://www.thegreenespace.org/articles/thegreenespace/2012/dec/27/next-new-york-conversation-emancipation-150/?utm_source=local&utm_media=treatment&utm_campaign=carousel&utm_content=item0

New York Public Radio is New York's premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC, WQXR, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org, www.thegreenespace.org and www.njpublicradio.org. As America's most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City's cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WQXR is New York City's sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC and WQXR produce content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station's street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. New Jersey Public Radio extends WNYC reach and service more deeply into New Jersey. For more information about New York Public Radio, 

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