Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy

Quote to add “after she (Debra Austin) was cast as the Sylph in La Sylphide, someone staging the ballet questioned the decision, stating that she had never seen a Black Sylph. Given that a sylph is a mythological fairylike creature, the artistic director challenged the stager and replied, “Have you ever seen a sylph before?”

“Three years after becoming principal dancer, Lorraine [Graves] became a ballet mistress with the company, helping to run rehearsals and teach. This was in addition to her duties as an active dancer with DTH, proving her maturity and leadership skills even at a young age. These dual roles helped Lorraine find her confidence as a dancer, and, in her words, they have her “the opportunity to ‘see' myself and think about how I /want/ to see myself.”