(soft music) - Lucy Negro Redux is a ballet that tells the story kind of based on the theory that Shakespeare's Dark Lady was a woman of African descent.

- My name is Caroline Randall Williams.

I wrote the book that inspired the ballet about Shakespeare's black girlfriend, I put myself in it too.

(laughs) And then the ballet happened, and it's a physical manifestation of this wild dream that I had.

(soft music) - Oh, I was just inspired by her story, inspired by the poetry.

I heard a recording of Caroline doing her poems which is just like hearing music.

- [Caroline] Living in brown sugar sin.

- [Paul] And that it evolved into... She becomes this narrator and sort of an integral part of the ballet.

(soft music) - I wrote "Lucy, the bend behind the word" and the movement happens and you go, "That is amazing."

And it's also humbling 'cause you know, like the artistry of what they do is so intense.

(upbeat music) - What we were trying to do in the ballet is illustrate, discover the power of this character of Lucy.

My original thought was that the character of Lucy would be in flat shoes.

Kayla Rowser, who was the original Lucy talking to her.

What makes you feel powerful about movement?

She just stopped for a minute.

"I feel powerful when I have my point shoes on."

(dramatic music) - The ballet starts on point like on her very tip toes , because that's power.

(dramatic music) - [Paul] The young women who see this young women color up seeing themself on stage is magical.

- The first word that comes to mind is just representation, right?

You can be told, "Oh, I'm allowed this door is open for you."

But if you've never seen someone else walk through the door or you don't see somebody like you on the other side of the door, it takes like a lot of imagination and a lot of willpower, the kids that come to see it will never have to live in a world where they haven't seen that.

- Caroline's book and the ballet is about feeling othered being able to find your own beauty.

So I hope people feel seen too in the end.

- [Announcer] This NPT Arts Break is made possible by the generous support of the Martha Rivers Ingram Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.