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Ballet and Belonging: A conversation with Diversity and Cultural strategist Theresa Ruth Howard

Theresa Ruth Howard

  • Thursday, Nov. 9 “Examining the Constellation Project” Lunch
    12-1:30 p.m., Black Cultural Center, Gallery Room

  • Lecture followed by discussion
    4:30-6 p.m., Intercultural Center Dome, Sproul 201

  • Reception
    6-7 p.m., Intercultural Center Dome, Sproul 201

LECTURE: Theresa Ruth Howard is the international advocate and strategist behind the movement to reform the culture of ballet. Her lecture “Ballet and Belonging: A Conversation with Diversity and Cultural Strategist Theresa Ruth Howard (Cultural Competency in Ballet)” will examine the ways in which institutionalized racism and implicit bias present in ballet and also the contributions of Blacks in ballet. Howard shares how tapping into the avant-garde and radical origins of the form can make the organic case for its evolution into an equitable, inclusive, culturally competent, and healthier art form. 

LUNCH: Howard will engage in discussion with students around The Constellation Project: Mapping the Dark Stars of Ballet, a digital installation that chronicles the lives and careers of dancers Arthur Mitchell, Mel Tomlinson, Lavinia Williams, Mabel Freeman, Doris Jones, and Claire Haywood, and brings to light the connections between them and the other artists, institutions, and white allies who were in their orbit.