The Inclusive Eye: The Importance of Representation, Mentorship, and Comprehensive Education
by niyah pratt
Niyah Pratt was born in raised in Renton, Washington. She began dancing at age six, at the British Dancing Academy where she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern. She is currently attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she is double majoring in Dance Performance and Urban Affairs. She hopes to continue her dance career for as long as she possibly can, and make an impact not only in the dance community, but on the youth as well. She wants to be the role model she never had when she started dancing for someone else, and “thinks it is important to start implementing this in dance.”
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By Niyah Pratt
For the longest time at the beginning of my dance career, I didn’t see many dancers that looked like me. I did ballet, jazz, tap, and modern growing up in my little Kent, Washington studio--and I thought this was normal. My dance classes didn’t look any different from my school classes, I was one of the only people of color in my classes there too. For years and years I went without knowing anything about the success of dancers like me in the dance industry and simply thought they didn’t exist.
When I was very little, there was one dancer older than me at my studio who looked like just me and I absolutely loved watching her dance. When I saw her I was mesmerized! I thought she was the most beautiful dancer in the world because I saw myself in her. Just seeing her made me feel like I could do it; and I know there are a lot of young dancers of color who have felt this way before in the dance world. Because of this, I want to reach as many young people as I can by teaching technique and giving them someone to look up to.
When I was 16 years old, I was accepted into the Debbie Allen Dance Academy summer intensive. Before this, I honestly did not know there were dance establishments built by African Americans. That summer, I experienced a profound transformation. I was surrounded by dancers and teachers that shared the same passion as I did--and looked just like me. I had never experienced this before. This not only changed how I danced but also expanded my view of the dance world.
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Debbie Allen started her own school to give her daughter a higher caliber of dance that she needed in order to succeed. Places like Debbie Allen Dance Academy and The Ailey School aren’t just dance institutions for black dancers. This was a large misconception held by the general populace--especially in the early years of their establishment. These institutions are sanctuaries for dancers of color where we can finally dance somewhere we feel acknowledged and celebrated.
My experience at Debbie Allen Dance Academy then led me to attend the Ailey Experience in New York the summer after where I had the greatest week of dancing in my life. I have never felt so seen and accepted dancing somewhere in such a short amount of time. Each teacher was beyond thrilled to teach us and share their knowledge of the dance world. Many of them were previous and current company members while others came from different parts of the dance world. It was exhilarating dancing with the staff and not having our strong technique be met with shock and surprise.
I say this because I feel like in certain situations when a dancer of color has good technique it's met by the community with shock. There is this preconceived notion of what a ballerina looks like and I think many don't expect us to be interested in ballet. It’s definitely not been viewed within my family as typical, and when I was super young my cousins and extended family were surprised when I started ballet. They were always very excited for me, but I wasn't playing basketball or running track like all the rest of my family members and that was surprising to them.
One summer, I auditioned for Joffrey Chicago just for exposure. Ballet is not my strong suit, and it has definitely been a journey to get my technique where it is today, but I wanted to try. Every girl who auditioned with me looked exactly the same, and I found myself the sole person of color in the building that day auditioning. This made me question at the beginning of the audition what I was doing there, but I also remember looking in the mirror by the end and getting choked up at just how proud of myself I was for choosing to be there and for fighting through being so uncomfortable.
I am forever grateful for the experiences I’ve had; I know that I am blessed to have parents that support me and to have had access to these opportunities. However, without being able to travel and fund these experiences, I don’t know that I would have become the dancer I am today.
So how can we make an impact on young people of color who want to become dancers but don’t have the resources and mentorship to fulfill their dreams? The answer: prioritizing our young dancers of color and their dance education.
Teaching dance from a more inclusive eye and making sure young dancers of color are well supported and seen makes all the difference in their training. If you are teaching students of color, guide them in learning about proper attire, their history of dance, finding a supportive community, and seeking out mentors.
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Educate dancers of color on proper attire for their complexion: this helps set dancers up for success. Personally, I didn’t know that ballerinas of color should (or could) wear skin color tights for ballet until I was 18. I was performing in a ballet piece in my first faculty show at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and the teacher pulled me aside baffled that I didn’t know I was technically wearing improper tights for the performance. It was an experience that left me feeling embarrassed and a little sad that I had never been taught this.
Encourage dancers and support them in the application and audition process for institutions such as Alvin Ailey, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet: where they will feel seen in a business that often does not.
Teach dancers of color their history. Dancers like Lauren Anderson, Syncopated Ladies, Katherine Dunham, and Robert Battle (to name a few) have all made large impacts on the dance world and students should know early on about these pioneers so that they can look up to successful dancers that look just like them.
We all know that having representation and someone to look up to reinforces the idea that you can do it too! It's motivating to see people like us in a profession that historically has not catered to our skin tone. If dancers don’t have a role model in dance, help support them in finding one.
We must set dancers of color up for success and teach them to their individual needs. I feel the largest job I can do to support my community is share how I've overcome these challenges and guide as many as I can to achieving their goals. I want all young dancers of color to feel inspired and prepared to conquer and succeed in the dance world!
RESOURCES
Brown Girls Do Ballet: Scholarships
LINES Vermont: Diversity in Dance Scholarship Fund
The Ballet Clinic’s Scholarship Fund
Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet (MoBBallet): An Ever Expanding and Historic Timeline of Blacks in Ballet