{{Short description|American ballet dancer (1935–2018)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox dancer |name = Raven Wilkinson |image = Raven Wilkinson, 2016.jpg |caption = Wilkinson in 2016 |birth_name = Anne Raven Wilkinson |birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|02|02|mf=y}} |birth_place = New York City, U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|12|17|1935|02|02}} |death_place = |resting_place = |occupation = dancer |former_groups = Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo<br/>Dutch National Ballet<br/>New York City Opera Ballet }}
'''Anne Raven Wilkinson''' (February 2, 1935 – December 17, 2018) was an American dancer who is credited with having been the first African-American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. Wilkinson broke the color barrier in 1955 when she signed a contract to dance full-time with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the company for six years. Wilkinson later became a mentor to American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland.
== Early life and training == Anne Raven Wilkinson was born in New York City on February 2, 1935, to Anne James Wilkinson and Dr. Frost Birnie Wilkinson, a doctor. She had a brother 2 years younger, Frost Bernie Wilkinson Jr. The family lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Harlem.<ref name= "past">[http://www.blackpast.org/aah/wilkinson-anne-raven-1935 "Anne Raven Wilkinson"], BlackPast.org.</ref> She was baptized in the Episcopal faith and her family adhered to the Anglo-Catholic tradition. They attended services at Church of St. Mary the Virgin and the Church of the Transfiguration. Wilkinson's father's office at 152nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue was located across the street from the Dance Theatre of Harlem.<ref name= "conversation">Michael Langlois, [http://www.balletreview.com/images/Ballet_Review_35-3_Raven_Wilkinson.pdf "A Conversation with Raven Wilkinson"], ''Ballet Review'', Fall 2007.</ref>
Wilkinson became a ballet fan at a young age, after seeing Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Coppelia.<ref name= "interview">Margaret Fuhrer, [http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/junejuly-2014/web-exclusive-interview-raven-wilkinson "An Interview with Raven Wilkinson"], ''Pointe Magazine'', June–July 2014.</ref> Her mother, who had studied ballet in Chicago, took young Raven to the School of American Ballet for lessons. But they said they could not accept her until she was nine, so she initially trained in the Dalcroze method. According to Wilkinson, "It was basically eurhythmics and was all about music and tempi and meters."<ref name= "danceusa">[https://www.danceusa.org/ejournal/2015/05/29/raven-wilkinson-2015-danceusa-trustee-awardee "Raven Wilkinson: 2015 Dance/USA Trustee Awardee"], ''Dance USA''.</ref> For her ninth birthday, an uncle made her the gift of ballet lessons at the Swoboda School, later known as the Ballet Russe School.<ref name= "interview" /> Wilkinson's first teachers included well-known dancers from Russia's Bolshoi Theatre, Maria and Vecheslav Swoboda.<ref name= "interview" /><ref>[http://michaelminn.net/andros/biographies/wilkinson_raven/ "Raven Wilkinson"], Andros on Ballet.</ref>
Sergei Denham, director of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, bought the Swoboda School in 1951, giving Wilkinson an opportunity to audition for the troupe. Even though she was light-skinned, acceptance into a ballet company was unlikely because of her race. Fellow ballet students also advised her not to seek a position.<ref>[http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/raven-wilkinson-ballet-pioneer "Raven Wilkinson, Ballet Pioneer"], African American Registry.</ref> But, in 1954, Wilkinson auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was rejected. On a second attempt, she was rejected once again. On her third try, in 1955, Denham informed her that she had been accepted on a six-week trial basis.
== Career == === Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo === Wilkinson advanced to the position of soloist in her second season with Ballet Russe and remained with the group for six years. She performed with the company across the U.S., routinely dancing the waltz solo in Les Sylphides.<ref>Rivka Galchen, [http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/unlikely-ballerina "An Unlikely Ballerina"], ''The New Yorker'', September 22, 2014.</ref> Her repertoire also included roles in Ballet Imperial, Le Beau Danube, Capriccio Espagnol, Gaîté Parisienne, Giselle, Graduation Ball, Harlequinade, Swan Lake, and Variations Classiques.<ref name= "danceusa" />
As an African American, she faced many difficulties while on tour, particularly in the segregated South. When the troupe stayed in "whites only" hotels, Wilkinson kept her race a secret. She later told an interviewer, "I didn't want to put the company in danger, but also never wanted to deny what I was. If someone questioned me directly, I couldn't say, 'No, I'm not black.'"<ref name= "interview" />
For two years, things went well. Because there were many foreign dancers in the company, including a number of South Americans, her skin color was not an issue.<ref name= "danceusa" /> In 1957, however, she was barred from staying with the troupe when an Atlanta, Georgia, hotel owner asked her outright if she was black. Wilkinson refused to lie and was sent away in a "colored" taxi to a "colored motel."<ref name= "bever">Lindsey Bever, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/01/misty-copelands-mentor-the-courageous-black-ballerina-who-defied-racism/ "Misty Copeland's mentor: The courageous black ballerina who defied racism"], ''The Washington Post'', July 1, 2015.</ref>
As word of Wilkinson's racial identity spread, discrimination became increasingly problematic in both her personal and professional life. Denham forbade her from dancing in certain locations and sent her ahead to safer cities on the tour. Ultimately, one of the company's ballet mistresses told her she would not go any further in her ballet career and should leave to start a school of African dance. Exhausted by years of discrimination, as well as the belief that the financially stressed troupe had become old-fashioned, Wilkinson left the company in 1961.<ref name="conversation"/>
=== Between ballet companies === Following her departure from Ballet Russe, Wilkinson auditioned for several U.S.-based ballet companies, including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. But, she was not accepted.<ref name= "conversation" /> Disheartened, she stopped dancing for two years.<ref name= "bever" /> Wilkinson worked briefly in customer service for a New York department store. Then, because she had always been attracted to the spiritual life, she joined an Anglican convent of the Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She stayed for only six months as she soon realized she had been given a great gift she had not used to its fullest.<ref name= "conversation" /> She returned to ballet classes, and not long after, to performing when and where she could.
=== Dutch National Ballet === In the mid-1960s, Sylvester Campbell, an African-American principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet, suggested Wilkinson approach that company. After speaking with them, she was invited to join the troupe as second soloist.<ref name= "interview" /> She moved to the Netherlands in 1967 and stayed with the National Ballet for seven years. She performed in Les Sylphides, The Firebird, Serenade, Giselle, Mozartiana, Concerto Barocco, Swan Lake, Symphony in C, La Valse, The Snow Maiden and Graduation Ball.<ref>Joselli Deans, [https://www.proquest.com/docview/251745832 "Black Ballerinas Dancing on the Edge: An Analysis of the Cultural Politics in Delores Browne's and Raven Wilkinson's Careers, 1954–1985"]. Temple University, 2001.</ref> In 1974, at the age of 38, a homesick Wilkinson retired and returned to the U.S.<ref name= "conversation" />
=== New York City Opera Ballet === Wilkinson did not stay in retirement long. When she returned to New York, the New York City Opera asked her to dance. She performed with them from 1974 until 1985.<ref name= "past" /> She continued with the opera as a character dancer and actor until 2011 when the company disbanded.<ref name= "interview" /> Among her acting credits is the role of Malla in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music (1990–1991).<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359610/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1 Live from Lincoln Center: Season 15, Episode 3, New York City Opera: A Little Night Music.]</ref> She also played Bloody Mary's assistant in a Broadway revival of South Pacific in 1987.<ref>[http://www.theatredb.com/QShowCastOrig.php?sid=s0902 South Pacific, Original Broadway Cast.]</ref>
== Later life and death == Misty Copeland, the first African American to gain principal dancer status at the American Ballet Theatre, has called Wilkinson a mentor.<ref name= "bever" /> Copeland's children's book, "The Firebird", was inspired by her relationship with Wilkinson.<ref>Krystyna Poray Goddu, [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/63890-firebird-lands-on-the-page-from-abt-soloist-misty-copeland.html "'Firebird' Lands on the Page, from ABT Soloist Misty Copeland"].</ref> The narrative tells of a young dancer who, with Copeland's help, finds self-confidence and success.
Wilkinson presented the 2014 ''Dance Magazine'' Award to Copeland in December of that year.<ref>[http://dancemagazine.com/inside-dm/dance_magazine_awards_2014/ 2014 Dance Magazine Awards.]</ref> In June 2015, Wilkinson received the 2015 Dance/USA Trustee Award from presenter Misty Copeland.<ref>[http://conference.danceusa.org/2015-trustees-award-presentation/ 2015 Dance/USA Trustee Awards.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910120820/http://conference.danceusa.org/2015-trustees-award-presentation/ |date=September 10, 2015 }}</ref>
Wilkinson's biography is included in ''Black Ballerina'',<ref>[http://blackballerinadocumentary.org/ ''Black Ballerina''.]</ref> a full-length documentary. The film tells the story of three black ballerinas from the past: Wilkinson, Delores Brown and Joan Myers Brown and contrasts their experiences with those of three young black dancers presently pursuing ballet careers.
Raven Wilkinson died on December 17, 2018, at the age of 83.<ref>[https://www.essence.com/entertainment/ballerina-raven-wilkenson-dead-at-83/ Pioneer Ballerina Raven Wilkinson has Passed away at the age of 83 ]</ref>
== See also == * Discrimination in dance
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.balletsrusses.com ''Ballets Russes''], Dana Goldfine, Daniel Geller * [http://blackballerinadocumentary.org ''Black Ballerina''], Frances McElroy, Producer == Further reading == * Copeland, Misty; with Susan Fales-Hill (2022). ''The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor, Raven Wilkinson.'' New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1538753859.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Raven}} Category:1935 births Category:2018 deaths Category:20th-century African-American people Category:21st-century African-American people Category:20th-century African-American women Category:21st-century African-American women Category:20th-century American ballet dancers Category:African-American ballerinas Category:African-American Episcopalians Category:American Anglo-Catholics Category:American ballerinas Category:American stage actresses Category:Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers Category:Entertainers from New York City Category:Episcopalians from New York (state) Category:Dancers from New York City Category:Dutch National Ballet dancers