It's World Ballet Day! From legendary dancers such as Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Carmen de Lavallade, and Raven Wilkinson (the first African American woman to dance full-time with a major ballet company), to Lauren Anderson and Misty Copeland (who became the nation's first female African American principal dancer and the American Ballet Theatre's first African American female principal dancer respectively), Black excellence has continued to shine through the generations and break down barriers in classical dance. To celebrate the art form, here are a few photos of Black and beautiful ballerinas.
Dancers and dance parents, don't forget to drop a dance photo in our comment section to keep the celebrating going!