Young, Gifted and Black - Spotlight on Dance

This week's installment of Young, Gifted and Black honors the legacy of Katherine Dunham. The legendary dancer, educator and activist who made her transition on Sunday May 21, 2006. Dunham inspired generations of young people to pursue dance and make sure that African-American faces were represented in dance schools and on dance stages across America.

Read about Ayisha McMillan, a black classical ballet dancer with the North Carolina Dance Theatre.

Aisha's career has been one of discipline and persistence. She remembers when one ballet company's comments aimed to defer her dream in an interview with Mary Curtis of The Charlotte Observer in 2004.

"Ballet just doesn't seem to be your cup of tea. Why don't you try going to Broadway or something?" she was told by one ballet company -- after 16 years of training.

"Eight-hour rehearsal days are spent entirely in front of mirrors," McMillan says, "and there were too many times that I had to fight back tears when I saw my own reflection."

From a 1997 New York Times story on blacks in classical ballet, she learned that of the 495 dancers in the 10 major companies, 23 were black. If she gave up, it would be 22. She became more determined.
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A salute to the efforts of brown dancers in brown tights!