>> IT WAS THE HEIGHT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

WHEN ARTHUR MITCHELL, THE FIRST BLACK PRINCIPAL DANCER AT THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET FOUNDED THE DANCE THEATER OF HARLEM.

THE COMPANY WOULD NOT ONLY BECOME AN INSTITUTION WHERE BLACK BALLET DANCERS COULD PERFORM, BUT ALSO FIND SUPPORT AMONG EACH OTHER WHILE SHOWING FUTURE DANCERS.

WHAT COULD BE ACHIEVED.

BUT THEIR SUCCESS DIDN'T COME EASILY AND THEIR STORIES HAVE LARGELY BEEN UNTOLD UNTIL NOW.

THEY'RE SHARING THOSE STORIES IN A NEW BOOK, THE SWANS OF HARLEM, 5 BLACK BALLERINAS, 50 YEARS OF SISTERHOOD AND THE RECLAMATION OF A GROUNDBREAKING HISTORY.

I AM PERSONALLY HONORED TO HAVE THEM WITH ME NOW, LIBYA BARCA MITCHELL, A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DANCE THEATER OF HARLEM AND THEIR FIRST PRIMA BALLERINA.

SHE'S ALSO THE VICE CHAIRPERSON OF THE 100 52ND STREET BLACK BALLET LEGACY, ORGANIZATION THAT AIMS TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF BLACK L A KARL.

YOU SHELTON, BENJAMIN FIRST GENERATION DANCER WITH THE DANCE THEATER OF HARLEM WHO BECAME A PRINCIPAL DANCER.

SHE ALSO SERVES AS THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE 100 52ND STREET BLACK VALLEY LEGACY.

AND KAREN BE AUTHER OF THE SWANS OF HARLEM.

WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO CHICAGO TONIGHT.

THANK YOU.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

KAREN.

I WANT TO START WITH YOU, PLEASE.

HOW DID YOU COME TO THE STORY?

IT WAS MAGIC.

THE WOMEN HAD FORMED THE LEGACY COUNCIL DURING COVID AND >> ONE OF THE BALLERINAS LIVES ON THE BLOCK A LITERARY AGENT IN HARLEM.

AND THIS AGENT KNOWS HOW MUCH A PLAQUE DANCE STUDIO HAS MEANT IN MY LIFE.

MY 2 DAUGHTERS ARE ADOPTED.

THEIR DANCE STUDIO IN AUSTIN, TEXAS IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES WHERE THEY ARE THE MAJORITY IN THE ROOM.

AND LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT WHEN I WOULD PANCAKE THEIR SHOES BEFORE RECITALS, THAT IT WAS A PRACTICE THAT THESE WOMEN HAD STARTED IN THE 70'S.

SO WE JUST TOOK A MEETING AND THE REST WAS.

HIS AND HERE YOU ARE.

WHAT WAS WHAT WAS YOUR RESPONSE WHEN YOU LEARNED THAT?

>> THAT KAREN WANTED TO TELL YOUR STORY.

>> WE SO INITIALLY THOUGHT WE COULD TO BURN AND FALLEN G BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OF US THAT WORK SO HARD TO GET.

THE COMPANY STARTED AND DURING COVID WITH >> THIS CALLS ALL OF THE STORIES COME.

STARTED COMING OUT.

>> MEAN, THAT ARE JOHNSON THAT THAT ARE VERY AGENT NOW.

SHE SAID, LET'S START WITH JUST THE COUNCIL BECAUSE THERE WERE HUNDREDS, I MEAN, HUNDREDS OF DANCERS THAT WHO HAVE WONDERFUL STORIES TO TELL WE STARTED WITH.

ARTICLE.

KAREN ROAD AND FELL IN LOVE WITH CARE KNOWS HOW TO TALK TO US AND JUST PULL OUT THINGS WE HAD FOR WE DIDN'T WANT THINK BUT SO IMPORTANT TO THE STORY THAT'S HOW IT CAME WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR STORY ISN'T MORE WIDELY KNOWN?

>> THAT'S A GOOD I THINK DURING THE TIME THAT WE WERE DANCING WITH OF HARLEM.

IT WAS MORE.

ARTHUR MITCHELL WAS REALLY THE FOCUS THE COMPANY.

HE ALSO MADE SURE THAT WE KNEW YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALL OF US.

IT WAS THERE WAS THERE ARE NO STARS.

THERE'S JUST, YOU KNOW, THE COMPANY.

SO I THINK BECAUSE OF THAT.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST KIND OF ASSUME THAT.

THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DOCUMENTED IN.

AND YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT IT, WHY YOU'RE DOING IT.

AND THEN 50 YEARS LATER, YOU GO.

WAIT A MINUTE.

WHERE IS ALL THAT HARD WORK THAT WE DID.

YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT WE DID REESE, CREATED THIS COMPANY ALONG WITH OUR TELL US WHAT YOUR DAYS WERE LIKE, DANCING WITH THE INTERIOR OF HARLEM.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT OF HARD WORK, BUT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF GLAMOUR AND SOME FUN TO REALLY WANT TO START.

THEY STARTED AS AN APPRENTICE.

WE STARTED WITH A LOT BACK IN THE 70 SO AND THEN WE HAD REHEARSED CLASS FIRST.

CLASS WAS KNOWN TO HAVE 2 HOURS.

REHEARSALS.

AND THEN REHEARSE AGAIN.

THE TOURING DAYS FOR WHERE A LOT OF YOU KNOW, WE JUST WENT ALL OVER THE WORLD.

WE PEOPLE THAT WE NEVER WOULD HAVE DREAMED OF MEETING SO THEY WERE VERY EXCITING DAYS.

AND AND AND WE WERE LIKE A FAMILY, YOU WHERE WE STILL ARE THOSE EARLY DAYS FOR BECAUSE >> TRAVELED A LOT BUS BETWEEN CITIES AND THEN WE GOT UP AND DID EARLY WARNING ELECTION DEMONSTRATIONS AND WE DID A CLASS AND THEN WE DID A REHEARSAL AND THEN WE DID A PERFORMANCE THAT WE'VE GOT BACK ON THE BUS AND DID IT AGAIN.

>> I KNOW GROWING, THROW DANCE THEATER HOME.

I WISH I HAD SEEN ELECTION DEMONSTRATION MYSELF.

I GREW UP IN THE PROJECTS IN HARLEM.

>> BALLET WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT I KNEW THAT MUCH.

ANYTHING ABOUT.

I GREW UP WITH FRED ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS AND THE JACKSON 5 MOTOWN.

AND SO IT WAS JUST.

A REVELATION WHEN I MET MISTER MITCHELL, THAT BALLET WAS COULD BE HOURS.

HE REALLY IS THE 6TH CHARACTER IN THIS BOOK.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE THE 5 SWANS THAT YOU FOCUS ON A NUMBER OF OTHER >> DANCERS FROM THOSE EARLY DAYS AS WELL.

KAREN.

BUT THEN ARTHUR MITCHELL IN AND YOU REALLY LEARN ABOUT THIS MAN AND YOU GET A SENSE OF HIS CHARACTER.

HIS PERSONALITY, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIM.

I THINK HE WAS AS COMPLICATED AS HE WAS BRILLIANT.

AND WE DON'T ALWAYS LET OUR BLACK HEROES BE COMPLICATED AND LIVE IN THEIR FULL.

>> THEY'RE FULL GREATNESS AND THEIR FULL HE CREATED SOMETHING THAT THE WORLD SAID COULDN'T EXIST.

HE LOVED HIS DANCERS.

HE USED HIS DANCERS.

HE MADE SOMETHING MAGICAL AND HE WAS THEM.

BUT I THINK ALWAYS.

KNEW THAT HE BELIEVED IN YOUR GREATNESS.

YEAH, I IF YOU COULD WORK WITH THE MITCHELL, HE CA WHY DO YOU THINK HE WAS SO YOU?

BECAUSE KAREN, IN THE BOOK YOU WRITE THAT, YOU KNOW, INTEGRATING BALLET WAS SORT OF HIS SOCIAL.

>> SOCIAL JUSTICE RIGHT.

DO YOU THINK THAT'S WHY?

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE PHRASING BLACKS CAN'T JUST BE GOOD, GOT TO BE BETTER THAN GOOD MONEY.

BUT HE WAS SO YOU.

HE HAD TO BE LIKE, YEAH, WE WERE SETTING OUT TO.

SHOW PEOPLE THAT WE WEREN'T PROVING THAT WE COULD DO BALLET.

WE WANTED THEM TO SEE THAT WE COULD WE KNEW WE COULD DO IT.

>> AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CREATE SOMETHING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, FULL-OUT COMPANY OF CLASSICAL BALLET DANCERS.

OF COURSE, HE CAME OUT AGAINST A LOT OF OBSTACLES.

WAS DEALING WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES.

WE LEARNED EARLY ON.

>> HE WAS THE IT'S HIS WAY OF THE HIGH VERY CLEAR.

YES, BUT IT IT WAS VALUABLE BECAUSE WE WE LEARNED OF WORK AND JUST A PLAN.

WE WAS STRIVING TO WHICH WE COULD NEVER, REALLY, REALLY GET 100% APPROVAL.

BUT THAT WAS OK, BECAUSE IT MADE WORK EVEN HARDER.

WE HAVE TO DO.

WE HAD TO DRESS A CERTAIN WAY.

WE HAD TO IT WASN'T JUST ON THE STAGE.

IT WAS EVERYWHERE.

ALL RIGHT.

THAT I COULD TALK TO THE 3 OF YOU ABOUT THIS ALL DAY.

BUT WE DO HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.

FOLKS WANT TO KNOW MORE.

THEY GOT TO READ THE BOOK MY THANKS TO THE 3 OF YOU FOR JOINING THE CARINVAL BE LYDIA BARCA, MICHELLE AND CARLY SHELTON.

BENJAMIN, THANK YOU.

SOMETHING NEW.

>> AGAIN, CARE ALL THESE NEW BOOK IS CALLED THE SWANS OF