The Swans of Harlem Reading

The story of Black women in ballet does not begin and end with the marvelous Misty Copeland; indeed, the groundbreaking prima ballerina references that incomplete history in her blurb for Karen Valby’s new nonfiction book (“This is the kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage”). The Swans of Harlem profiles five trailblazing ballerinas – Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton, and Marcia Sells – who made history at the Dance Theatre of Harlem but faded from renown after retirement. Valby’s book is a giant step in recognition of these artists, who are all still alive to tell their stories and, happily, inspire new generations of Misty Copelands to come. – Kimberley Jones