Recognizing Black Contributions to Classical Ballet with "Pathways to Performance": BPIA Night at the Kennedy Center Ballet

On July 3, BPIA co-hosted “BPIA Night at the Ballet: Recognizing Black Contributions to Classical Ballet” with the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts for an evening of celebration and performance for the show? “Pathways to Performance: Exercises in Reframing the Narrative”. The evening began with an exclusive viewing of the JFK Gallery Permanent Exhibit: “Art and Ideals” where BPIA Advisory Council member and Women’s Curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMHAAC) Angela T. Tate shared the historical context of African-Americans, ballet, and diplomacy.?

Guests then met the show’s lead Curator Theresa Ruth Howard, founder of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet (MoBBallet), for a champagne toast and reception before heading to the performance hall. Special thank you to newly announced BPIA Advisory Council member and Senior Director Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Kennedy Center, Brandelyn N. Anderson. BPIA continues to recognize Black excellence across diplomacy, development, defense, and corporate.??

Hadiza Joy Bamgbose Michael Fountain, Ph.D. Charles Carithers Alexandria J. Maloney, MPA Tammie Smiley, MBA, CMSP Lavern Chatman Tiffani Brownley-Meijer. Larquana Bryan Maria Price Detherage. Taylor Fulton, MIA Filmona Hailemichael Sasha Jones Angela T. Tate Treasure McClain Alexis Obodo Daphne Titus. Shawanesh Underwood Derika W.