The Color of Dance: A Celebration of Diversity and Inclusion in the World of Ballet [Hardcover]

From the photographer behind the Instagram sensation Brown Girls Do Ballet, this stunning coffee-table book showcases breathtaking images of ballerinas of color of all ages and levels that reflect todays beautifully diverse world of dance.  

For decades the prominent image of a ballet dancer has been a white body with pale clothing. It took 75 years for American Ballet Theatre to have its first African American female principal dancer, Misty Copeland. When TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian went to enroll her three-year-old daughter into her first ballet class, she immediately saw this lack of diversity and representationeven on her local dance studios website. Within weeks TaKiyah, a freelance photographer, began shooting a project she called Brown Girls Do Ballet, which eventually became an Instagram hit and a nonprofit organization that provides resources, mentorship, inspiration, and encouragement to young dancers of color worldwide.

For her first book,The Color of Dance, TaKiyah traveled around the United States seeking out dancers of African, Asian, East Indian, Hispanic, and Native American ancestry. With these more than 190 breathtaking images of colorful ballerinas of all ages and levels, both amateur and professional, TaKiyah gives a voice to dancers who have been underrepresented for too long.

With dozens of quotes throughout from ballerinas themselves,The Color of Danceredefines what this classically Eurocentric art form has looked like for centuries and will inspire dancersand all of usto pursue our dreams no matter what barriers are put in front of us.

TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian is a photographer and the founder and executive director ofBrown Girls Do Ballet, a philanthropic organization that works to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in ballet programs through organizing and arranging ballet performances, photo exhibitions, and provlÓE