VOA文化艺术2023--London’s Pointe Black Ballet School Aims to Break Racial Barriers

London’s Pointe Black Ballet School Aims to Break Racial Barriers

It was a criticism¹ about her Afro-braided hair that led Ruth Essel to create what she calls a safe space for Black dancers.

The founder² of Pointe Black Ballet School in London said when she was a child, teachers and others all but punished her for not following the traditional ballerina way.

"I'll never forget my first time about to dance on a West End stage," said Essel. That was the time the 10-year-old wore her hair braided at dance practice. Her mother had spent her last $120 to get her hair done.

Her happiness disappeared when her teacher pointed³ at her in an almost all-white group of dancers. The teacher told her to take out her braids because it looked like "a mess."

That was just one of several times Essel was made to feel bad about being different. "These are all things that happened before I was 16 years old, and I didn't know any better," she said.

These difficulties led Essel to establish Pointe Black in 2020 at the age of 26.

"I wanted there to be a Black environment. I wanted there to be people who looked like me. I wanted there to be a teacher that looked like me," she said.

She said it felt like she was given power when she could finally wear black clothes and shoes rather than the traditional pink color for ballerinas, "because it was closer to my color."

Ballet has expanded across the world with famous ballet dancers from Asia, South America, and Cuba. But many still think of ballet dancers as light skinned. And classical ballet companies try to have a similar look for dancers in classical works⁴ like Swan Lake. That makes it harder for dancers of color.

Some 2.2 percent of dancers at the top four ballet companies in Britain are of Black ancestry⁵. That percentage is in line with the country's Black population at 3 percent, said Sandie Bourn of Britain's Society for Dance Research in 2017.

A spokesperson noted⁶ that keeping diversity is important to everyone at The Royal Academy⁷ of Dance, saying "Dance is for everybody."

But Essel wants to speed up change by introducing new ideas. She said her shows use African dances and music. And dancers wear different hairstyles, including twists, rolls and afros. She added, "... it's really just about celebrating the person no matter where they come from."

Maya Beale-Springe is a 10-year-old student at Pointe Black and another ballet school. She enjoys exploring different kinds, or types, of ballet.

"I get to experience different types of ballet, different music," she said after a perfect practice for an upcoming show.

Essel teaches all the classes in her school. She said, "Everything about my school is what my younger self would have wanted."

Words in This Story

braid – n. an arrangement of hair made by weaving three sections together

ballet – n. a kind of dancing that is performed on a stage and that uses dance, music, costumes, and scenery to tell a story

stage – n. a raised platform in a theater, auditorium⁸ where the performers stand

mess – n. a very dirty or untidy state or condition

and that you will not allow anyone or anything to stop you

diversity – n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

1 criticism   

n.批评，批判，指责；评论，评论文章

参考例句：

• Some youth today do not allow any criticism at all.现在有些年轻人根本指责不得。
• It is wrong to turn a deaf ear to other's criticism.对别人的批评充耳不闻是错误的。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

5 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

8 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。