African American ballet dancers Calvin Royal III and Courtney Lavine shine in particularly prominent roles during American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) current season signaling the company’s continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Promoted to principal dancer in 2020, becoming the third male in the company’s history to reach that rank, Royal performs one of the leads in Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet based on Mexican writer Laura Esquivel’s novel “Like Water for Chocolate.” While his Dr. John Brown in that ballet is lyrical, touching but low-key, Royal is able to unleash passion and panache as the lead in a remarkable roster of iconic Romantic ballets––“Giselle” (July 6), “Swan Lake” (July 15), and “Romeo & Juliet” (July 19). Ballerina Courtney Lavine, who dances the role of Nacha, an important character in “Like Water for Chocolate,” is not the main character but a driving force in the narrative whose presence onstage is mesmerizing and magical.
As anyone who recalls ABT’s Misty Copeland’s promotion to principal in 2015 knows, stepping into the spotlight, no matter the rank, in an American ballet company is a noteworthy event for a Black dancer. After all, dismantling racism in America doesn’t happen overnight whether in the nation’s preeminent cultural institutions or any place else, as this recent Supreme Court decision striking down Affirmative Action in higher education shows.
Race matters. The late Arthur Mitchell, founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem and the first Black principal with the New York City Ballet, once described the profound responsibility he felt knowing that his mere presence on stage inspired talented youngsters to believe they could pursue their dreams. Calvin Royal III and Courtney Lavine are, in their own way, carrying on that mission. Both dancers’ bios reflect the way talent can blossom given the right amount of support. Starting at the age of 8, Lavine’s love of ballet was reinforced by winning numerous first place awards in dance competitions and scholarships to prestigious ballet schools like Washington, D.C.’s Kirov Institute. She also received Washington Ballet School’s Virginia Johnson Scholarship, named after its famous alumnae, DTH’s former principal ballerina and artistic director. Lavine also studied at NYCB’s School of American Ballet prior to being scouted by ABT’s Junior Company and then joining ABT in 2010 where she has had the opportunity to perform such stylistically diverse ballets as “Giselle,” “Cinderella, “Swan Lake,” “After Effect,” “Deuce Coupe” and “Songs of Bukovina,” even creating a leading role in “Lifted.” “This role in ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ is the most featured role I’ve had. This has been an amazing opportunity for me,” Lavine says expressing her delight at being able to combine ballet technique and dramatic expressivity to play the pivotal role of Nacha, who is both the family cook and, after she dies, a spirit guide for the ballet’s heroine, Tita. It is not lost on Lavine that there are far fewer Black ballerinas than male ballet dancers on America’s stages, but she does note that ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe has made her feel seen and heard.
Although Royal started studying ballet when he was 14 years old, a little later than most, he says it’s been an amazing journey fueled by the support of his mother and grandmother and a scholarship to ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (JKO). With his increasingly technically impressive and dramatically dynamic performances, Royal has won the hearts of both seasoned and new audience members whether portraying the star-crossed lover in “Romeo and Juliet,” or the maniacal villain Von Rothbart in “Swan Lake” or tragically love-ensnared Prince Siegfried in a different performance of the same ballet, to mention a few captivating leads in iconic ballets.
For both Courtney and Calvin, this season, which opened with “Like Water for Chocolate,” 2023 promises to be an amazing year considering ABT’s decision to underscore a continued commitment to the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion by beginning the season with a story based on a Mexican novel. Expressing her delight, Lavine said during a recent interview, “I’m beyond happy that ABT has decided to make this ballet. I’m so happy that we’re hearing from different cultures besides Western European cultures. I think inclusivity is really the future of ballet.” Royal agreed, citing the fact that this shift can bring more audience members to the ballet. “ABT and many companies are talking about how to diversify their repertory, and the people on the stage, and behind the scenes.” During a media ZOOM call with author Esquivel, Wheeldon and others, Principal dancer Herman Cornejo was equally touched saying, “I’m so proud to be able to bring an Hispanic story to the stage,” referring to this as a move to enhance ballet’s cannon with “new classics.”
Of course, just as such ventures are often inspired by a growing demand for representation that begins outside such bastions of “high art” as the Metropolitan Opera House, they can only be sustained if supported. Since the 2015 promotion of ballerina Misty Copeland to principal, ABT seems to be pushing forward staying the course. In addition to “Like Water for Chocolate,” the fact that this season alone, Calvin Royal III will dance the lead in three works considered part of the Romantic ballet cannon is significant. Several decades ago, Black dancers like Sylvester Campbell (1938-1997) and Christopher Boatright (1953-1997) had to leave the country in order to perform those roles. In fact, in June 1977 Boatright, the first African American dancer to perform the lead in “Romeo and Juliet” on the stage of the Met but he did so as a member of Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet.
Frankly, when Misty Copeland was promoted, the groundswell of Black audience members did not go unnoticed by folks at ABT’s box office. In fact, during a recent performance TV producer Susan Fales-Hill, daughter of former dancer Josephine Premice, who appeared in the 1954 Broadway musical “Hose of Flowers” with Arthur Mitchell, brought a large group of Black women friends to the Met to see “Like Water.” “When my mother did Broadway plays, she was encouraged and uplifted by the Black sororities (AKAs, Deltas) and social organizations (Links, Jack and Jill) that would attend in their numbers to ensure the success of the run. While my efforts are entirely personal, and not backed by any such groups, I make them in that same spirit of community and advancement. In ballet, which has only recently seen an uptick in the numbers of dancers of color, it’s very important to show there is an audience. Time and again, dancers of color, from Misty to Calvin, to others, have told me what it means to them to know that members of their “community,” writ large, come out to support them and see their work. Anyone of color working in a creative field wants to do honor and justice to our “image” as a people. The presence of a significant cohort of Black women at a performance is affirming to these young pioneers.”
That support is definitely appreciated and while this is not the first time Calvin Royal III will dance some of ballet’s major roles for ABT, for him it is no less momentous. “It’s pretty remarkable to be able to step into these iconic roles,” Royal says with an air of breathless anticipation. “I look at the range of the roles I’m doing this season and it’s really exciting. Of course, I want to be the greatest technician I can be as a principal dancer. But also I want to be the greatest artist I can be in telling those stories of each of the characters I’m portraying and helping people to go on that journey with me. I want to be able to tell a convincing story that makes people feel.”
Both Calvin and Courtney step on stage with a conviction that sweeps the audience up and carries them on a journey. And, as for the young aspiring dancers who might want to follow in their footsteps, both hope they are making a difference. Royal says, “My hope is that it won’t be lost on just one or two of us.” Both want there to be more Calvins and Courtneys. “There’s talent all over the globe,” Royal says. “I hope that being seen in these roles creates a sense of the possibility and opportunity for young dancers to know that these roles aren’t reserved for just one demographic, and they can aspire and work towards that too.” Only time will tell.