Thank you, Net Gallery, for an advanced copy of this book. This is the story of several of the black ballerinas that opened up the field to people of color. We learn how quickly recent progress and recent stories of such progress disappear and are forgotten in time. I am glad to see a book celebrating the lives of these women. I would definitely recommend.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This is such an amazing book for ballet dancers, and any lover of the arts. This book chronicles the formation and early days of Dance Theatre of Harlem telling the stories of the groundbreaking black ballerinas in their own words, as well as the rest of their lives to this point. To hear their stories of resilience in their own words, as well as to see where life has lead them post their time on stage is memorable.

Excellent history of an overlooked group of ballerinas. Perfect for fans of ballet, dancers themselves, who might not be aware of these women. Well-written, lively prose, charming anecdotes.

Highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

"Art is activism. Let the gorgeous lines of his dancers' bodies serve as fists in the air."

When Misty Copeland was hailed by the media as the first Black ballerina, there was some head scratching from those in the industry, from the families of the ballerinas that graced the stage a full 50 years earlier. The Swans of Harlem uses its pages to right the wrong and bring to light the women who made history half a century before. These women performed for royalty, rubbed shoulders with rock stars and Hollywood A-listers. Yet today they're largely forgotten.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

Unfortunately, I was unable to download the file prior to it being archived and have no gotten a chance to read it. I hope to read it in the future.

The Swans of Harlem is the story of five black ballerinas who have mostly been forgotten over the years. In the height of the Civil Rights movement, the Dance Theatre of Harlem was put together featuring black men and women dancers who helped pioneer the way for an all black dance group. Among the dancers in this group were Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells. This book gives the reader the insight into this riveting and pioneering time in black history and does a great job telling these women’s stories.

I had no expectations going into this book and picked it up because the description intrigued me. How could these dancers who danced all over the world and appeared on the cover of Dance magazine have been forgotten? It didn’t seem likely, but after reading their stories I do believe it now. I had never heard of any of these dancers, not that I follow dance, but the fact that Marcia Sells is from my own hometown and I haven’t heard of her, as well as the other points brought up in this book, I believe these pioneering woman have been forgotten and not received the credit they are due. Karen Valby did a wonderful job portraying these five women and theirs stories to us. I was hooked on this book from the very first pages and really didn’t want to put it down until I heard the whole story play out. I am very inspired by these women and what they were able to accomplish during their youth and even though they are largely unacknowledged, I think their roles were very important in laying the ground work for the movement that needed and still needs to take place in dance and in life. I am so glad I found this story and got to take a closer look at The Swans of Harlem. I definitely recommend this book and think it is a good book for anyone to read, whether you are a fan of dance or not. This book tells the stories of five inspirational women who were pioneers in their field and it is definitely worth the read.

This was an interesting story about The Dance Theatre of Harlem, which was founded in 1969 and is renowned for being the first Black classical ballet company. 

The book folloiws the lives of the main 5 female dancers who danced with the Dance Theater of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell.

Karen Valby, the author, has beautifully captured the inspiring human stories behind these five talented black women who challenged the very white world of classical ballet. Spanning five decades, you get a behind the scenes look at professional ballet layered with historical events.

I highly recommend this book!

This was such an interesting history and I had heard little about it before. I have actually seen this dance theatre perform before. It was great to find out more about the history. This author does a great job balancing giving the women their individual stories, focusing on the friendship and discussing the history of the dance company. Through so much, the women have maintained and earned a place in history.

Swans of Harlem is a much needed historical documentation of five of the Black ballerinas who danced for Arthur Mitchell’s all Black company, Dance Theater of Harlem. I grew up in ballet from ages 12-18 and never knew of this history. When I saw this was getting published, I was immediately interested. I’m grateful that the five ballerinas featured in this book were able to tell their stories through Valby to bring attention to this forgotten history. I have an e-arc of the book, so I wonder if the physical copy includes any photographs of the dancers. If not, I would have loved to see inclusion of this. I also listened to the audiobook. It was a nice surprise to have some of the sections towards the end read by the ballerina themselves or their family members. For any fellow dancers out there, I definitely recommend giving this a read.

Thank you to Net Galley for an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

It was great to get the back story of the five swans of Harlem. This is an important story and a lot of it is based on first hand interviews. The ballerinas even performed for Queen Elizabeth with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants to learn about these dancers who thankfully, are not forgotten..

Thanks very much to the publisher and author for the eARC copy of The Swans of Harlem. The Swans of Harlem was such a well-written and inspiring true story of a group of accomplished, trailblazing Black dancers whose stories have, until now, remained untold in the modern era (despite their prior fame and prominence in the dance world). I loved this book as an adult who has dabbled in ballet from time to time, but I don't believe you have to be a dancer (or even someone who attends the ballet) to enjoy the dancers' stories.

The sense of loss in “The Swans of Harlem: is strong. These women — Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells and Karlya Shelton — were robbed of laurels. Abarca’s family was so concerned by her erasure from dance history that they instigated the telling of this story. If it were just a quest for cultural remedy the result might have been nothing published. It shows the ugliness of a segregated art form. The company was so influential that just two years after its 1969 founding, George Balanchine invited his former protégé, Mitchell, to share the stage with City Ballet at Lincoln Center. After that historic performance, members of the Bolshoi would check out the rehearsals to see. “One founding board member said dancers with athleticism and technique and exuberance and freshness as if they needed to prove something.” This was the Swans’ milieu. It’s by getting personal that it becomes real. I will never forget the stories of the “swans of Harlem.” To think that it was forgettable makes me sad. I am so glad that this book was written. It is an important part of American history.

This book recounts the stories of black ballerinas who seem to be forgotten in history. It starts with Lydia Abarca’s story, who rose to fame as part of the international Dance Theater of Harlem group. Touring with other black men and women, this group toured not only in the U.S. but also internationally.

I really enjoyed learning about this dance group which I knew nothing about. From the obstacles they faced to their triumphs, this was a fascinating read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @pantheonbooks for a #gifted digital review copy of this book

A vivid and eye-opening account of the first all-black ballet company Dance Theatre of Harlem. This memoir follows the rise and fall of Arthur Mitchell, who formed the company. But the novel is about the lives DTH touched, especially five women ballet dancers who went on to shine the lamp forward for other dancers of color. The story starts with the assassination of Martin Luther King and starts again during Covid, when the five women get back together to tell their story, and this novel is a product of that meeting. DTH began in the ‘60s and moves through the social and cultural upheavals following.
This is a brilliant, inspiring book about sisterhood, about hard work and owning your art, and striving for perfection. It’s filled with laughter and tears, saints and sinners. I wish someone would make a series about these women in those times. This is a story that I couldn’t put down and once I finished it, will never forget it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This was a fascinating account of the ballerinas who were the principal dancers for the Dance Theatre of Harlem and whose account and history was lost. There was so much racism in the classical ballet world and black ballerinas where told they were more welcome in modern dance. Arthur Miller founded the company and gave these ballerinas and education and the opportunities to be principals in the company, but over time, their stories were lost to history. This book remedies that oversight. Even now, they are not mentioned in the long history on the Theatre's website, although there are photos. They were nameless, but not anymore. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance e Copt of Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book well written and interesting. The book starts by making sure we all know that Misty Copeland was not the first important Black ballerina, and continues to explore the development of Dance Theater of Harlem, the groundbreaking work of Arthur Mitchell and five of the most influential Black dancers of the time. It was moving to see how they supported one another while, like in so many other areas of American art, history and culture, Black dancers were marginalized and ignored. This book sets to right that wrong and bring these artists back into the light where they belong.

Four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I loved this book. It is steeped in history. I feel like most people familiar with ballet even in a passing way know who Misty Copeland is and realize how whitewashed ballet is as an art form. Knowing that there was an entire history of Black ballerinas that I'd never been aware of was eye opening. Reading the experiences of the swans of Harlem was touching and made me want to know more.

A history of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and it's founder Arthur Mitchell. There are interviews and recollections with the original members as well as current dancers. It is also the history of Black Americans in ballet. A welcome addition to the ballet memoir library and highly recommended, especially for dancers and dance lovers who have felt disenfranchised with the 'whiteness' of ballet.

What a phenomenally written book. I was so engrossed and entertained and I learned so much. I knew about Dance Theater of Harlem but I had no idea of the history of the black ballerinas. This is such an important part of not just dance or even arts history, but American history. These stories need to be told, these trailblazers deserve to be recognized and honored. This is such an important book and I’m so glad that it exists. I hope so many people are intrigued by the title and the cover and learn from it.