Raven Wilkinson (February 2, 1935 – December 17, 2018) was a pioneering ballerina, one of the

Raven Wilkinson (February 2, 1935 – December 17, 2018) was a pioneering ballerina, one of the first African-American dancers to perform with a major classical ballet company. She achieved this in 1955, when she began dancing with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, breaking the color barrier.She started studying dance when she was five, and was admitted to the ballet company on her third audition, having been rejected previously because of her race. She advanced to the position of soloist during her second season there, and remained with the Ballet Russe for six years. She faced persistent discrimination, especially when performing for segregated audiences in the American South, and eventually moved to the Netherlands to work with the Dutch National Ballet. -- source link
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