Today’s “From the Archives” post highlights a feature piece we published in issue 1 of Paper Lanterns, way back in 2020.
A Poppy in a Field of Daffodils: Discovering Diversity in Ballet
Rebecca Downey
When we hear the word “ballerina”, we tend to think of world-renowned performers, such as Margot Fonteyn, Anna Pavlova and Rudolph Nureyev. What do these greats all have in common? They are all white. It is unfortunate that black performers are not typically associated with ballerinas. This is likely due to the underrepresentation of black ballerinas in the world of ballet.
In all my years attending the classical ballets and dance classes, I had never laid eyes upon a black ballerina. I had never looked for a black swan amongst the white swans. To me, this was always normal, and I never observed the lack of diversity. For me, this changed when I read the autobiography Hope in a Ballet Shoe: Orphaned by War, Saved by Ballet: an Extraordinary True Story, co-written by rising ballerina Michaela DePrince and her mother, Elaine DePrince. I first came across Michaela when I read Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls, a marvellous book that specialises in telling the stories of inspirational women from all around the world. The book does a great job at introducing diversity through literature in a fun and accessible way that appeals to young readers. This book is a favourite of mine as I have learnt so much and I’ve found lots of role models to inspire me. I got this book for Christmas a few years ago and every night I loved reading about different inspiring women. One night, I read about Michaela DePrince in whom I took a quick interest in when I saw she was a ballerina like me and that we both shared the same birthday. I found the short biography about her fascinating and I needed to learn more. When I next visited my local library, I decided to take out the book Hope in a Ballet Shoe.
Michaela DePrince was born in Sierra Leone in Africa on the 6th of January 1995. She was born with vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of the skin to lose pigment. This affected Michaela’s neck and chest. At this time, Sierra Leone was victim to hazardous wars that left Michaela as an orphan at three years old. In her book, she opens up about how poorly treated she was at the orphanage because she had vitiligo and the women at the orphanage would tell her no one would ever adopt the “devil’s child”. Fortunately, she had one friend named Mia, and they kept each other company during the loneliest times of their lives.
When young Michaela was beginning to give up on the possibility of ever living a happy life, a glimmer of hope blew onto the gates of the orphanage, a magazine with a ballerina on the cover! She looks so happy, Michaela thought. She thought that if she was a ballerina like this lady, she too could be happy. From that moment on, she had two dreams, to be part of a loving family and to be a ballerina. She treasured the magazine her whole life. I love how Michaela’s inspiration to be a ballerina came from reading a magazine, and now she inspires me to be a ballerina by my reading about her! This shows me the power reading has to inspire, bring hope, and change people’s point of view in life.
One day, an American woman named Elaine DePrince visited Michaela’s orphanage, hoping to adopt a daughter. That day, Michaela’s life changed when Elaine adopted her. Not only was she adopted, but Elaine also decided to adopt Mia, Michaela’s best friend. Elaine brought her new daughters back to America and upon arrival, she caught Michaela rummaging through her suitcase for her magazine. She showed it to her mother and explained its purpose. “You can be a ballerina too,” Elaine told her. I love how significant this magazine has been in Michaela’s journey, reminding me how big of an impact reading has had on her dream. When Michaela was lonely in the orphanage, she could always read through her magazine, a reminder that her dream could come true. She turned to reading for comfort and it had such a strong influence in keeping hope in Michaela’s life.
Michaela was immediately enrolled in ballet classes and a teacher recognized her natural talent very early on. She dedicated herself to her art and progressed quickly, saying she was always hoping to “overcome stereotypes of conventional beauty and racial barriers in the world of ballet.” Michaela featured in Bess Kargman’s documentary First Position, which gives an insight into the life of teen ballerinas.
When I watched Kargman’s documentary, I was shocked to see that Michaela had to dye her pointe shoes brown, as pointe shoes were only sold in pale pink! This upset me and I found out that most black ballerinas had to ‘pancake’ their shoes, meaning they would cover them with skin toned makeup to suit their dark skin. I was astounded to learn that dancers with darker skin had to go through this ordeal every time they got a new pair of shoes and I wondered why nothing had been done about this before. Fantastically, in the last couple of years, pointe shoe brands Freed and Gaynor Minden released three more shades of shoes for darker-skinned ballerinas. These were released over 200 years after the traditional peach pink shoe was first made, which really is a massive leap forward in the ballet world. I feel that the world of ballet is becoming more accepting and inclusive, which gives me hope that the time will come when black ballerinas will be celebrated just as much as white ballerinas.
After First Position was released, Michaela became quite well known, which opened up a lot more opportunities for her, including dancing on America’s Dancing with the Stars and being invited to perform with Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York. At the age of eighteen, she was scouted by the Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company, a very prestigious school for aspiring young dancers. At twenty-three, Michaela was promoted to the main company and now, at the age of twenty-five, she is ranked as a soloist at the Dutch National Ballet.
Reading Hope in a Ballet Shoe showed me that dreams really can come true. Michaela is a perfect example of this, showing that anything is possible. Her story motivates me to work hard and not be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Often, people would criticise Michaela for the colour of her skin and her vitiligo, but she never let anyone bring her down. Michaela has taught me that it’s good to celebrate your differences and she inspires me to be my true self, not caring about what anyone thinks. Her famous quote, “never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils” stays with me, reminding me to be myself and the best I can be.
When I now hear the word “ballerina”, I see Michaela DePrince, a woman who loves her art and is dedicated to it. I love to see that the ballet world already is a lot more diverse with more black ballerinas rising to the stage. The lack of diversity in ballet Is still an ongoing issue, and it is our responsibility as young people to be aware of these prejudices so we can practise doing what is right – starting with advocating for diverse representation in art. Reading about Michaela DePrince, I learnt that reading can change lives. Michaela found her magazine; hope was restored to her life and she could dream. Now, she has written her story and it has inspired me to dream. Reading changed her life and she changed mine by teaching me to “never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils.”
Buy your copy of issue 1 here.
