black ballet series celebrates diversity in the predominately white sport

Shot by F. Elias Neto and featuring Brazilian ballerina Ana Flavia, this Black Ballet photo series is inspired by Ana’s grace and also the increasing representation and diversity in the still predominately white world of classical ballet. “It is very common to the great photographers leaving the classical dance to white dancers, the film is also filled with movies where its protagonists are beautiful white dancers,” Neto tells AFROPUNK. “The issue here is not the existence of these protagonists, but rather the absence of dancers of color. Different than you think, black dancers are increasingly a majority on the contemporary dance scene, however, the preference for roles in movies and models in photoshoots is the white people.”

With that in mind, Neto and Flavia teamed up to showcase the versatility, grace, and skills of a black ballerina and challenge the expectation to see white dancers celebrated, exclusively.