The First Negro Classic Ballet or First Negro Classical Ballet was a ballet company formed in Los Angeles, California in 1946.
| First Negro Classic Ballet | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Name | First Negro Classic Ballet |
| Year founded | 1946 |
| Closed | 1956 |
| Founder | Joseph Rickard |
History
editThe First Negro Classic Ballet was founded in 1946 and directed by the German dancer Joseph Rickard in Los Angeles, California.
In 1946, Joseph Rickard, a white dancer, saw an African American child turned away from a Los Angeles dance studio because of her race. Motivated by this injustice, he opened a dance studio for Los Angeles's Black community. By 1947, Rickard founded the First Negro Classic Ballet, offering a place to perform and choreograph.[1]
The company held its debut recital on October 19, 1946, at the Danish Auditorium in Los Angeles, and premiered professionally on November 19, 1949, at Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara.[2]
Joseph Rickard was engaged by New York choreographer, Edward Flemyng, who proposed combining their companies.[3] Rickard's First Negro Classic Ballet and Flemyng's New York Negro Ballet were merged in 1956 after the dissolution of the First Negro Classical Ballet.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Isenberg, B. (2019, March 6). A Ballet Troupe’s History Recaptured : Dance: Joseph Rickard’s First Negro Classic company got its start in 1947. Now his archives are at the Huntington Library. - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com
- ^ a b First Negro Classical Ballet’s Orbit: Joseph Rickard – MOBBallet.org. (2021, November 2). Retrieved from https://mobballet.org/index.php/2021/11/02/first-negro-classical-ballets-orbit-joseph-rickard/
- ^ Archival Outlook. (2003). United States: The Society.