When a kid came home from school claiming that Misty Copeland was the first Black ballerina to break the race barrier, it caused consternation among some who had gone before, and seemed to be completely forgotten.

This book sets out to fix that by giving a vivid, well-researched account of the founding of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and focuses in on the lives of five of its original ballerinas. This long-overdue examination highlights an important segment of Black cultural and artistic history by restoring the women to their proper groundbreaking place. And it was groundbreaking. Not only had these women had the ferocious discipline required of a ballet dancer, they had to face the nasty barrier that had been keeping the ballet world white.

The book shifts skillfully between the women's artistic and personal lives, highlighting their families, their teachers, and their colleagues in the world of dance, giving us a vivid portrait of each ballerina. The research is impressive, with an emphasis on presenting the women with their individual voices. With the publication of this book, their overdue credit is re-established--something that Misty Copeland herself would applaud.

I think one of the best aspects of the book is how it shows not only how tough they were to endure the long-established and unexamined racism of the dance world, but how much they supported one another.

“But what about Grandma?”

The Swans of Harlem was a reclaiming of historical Blackness in ballet as told through five women who were at the forefront. Lydia Abarca, Sheila Rohan, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, and Marcia Sells were part of the founding core at Arthur Mitchell's Dance Theatre of Harlem. If you're a fan of ballet, then you've probably heard of Arthur Mitchell, a dancer himself who broke color barriers and after Martin Luther King Jr's assassination, decides to start and build DTH, with a board including Cicely Tyson, Brock Peters, George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein, and Charles De Rose. Such powerful figures helped to contribute to DTH's success, along with philanthropists' donations, that the company was in constant need of, but the heart of the success lies in the dancers who sacrificed, worked, and understood the importance of what their mission was. Told in three acts, the book successfully tells their stories and brings you back to a world of the Civil Rights Movement, it's lingering effects, and the reclaiming of history.

He would build a ballet school in Harlem, the neighborhood that had raised him up. And because children deserve role models who show them what is possible, he would simultaneously establish the first permanent Black professional ballet company.
Art is activism. Let the gorgeous lines of his dancers’ bodies serve as fists in the air.

The first Act was all about the building of the DTH and how each of the five women entered Arthur Mitchell's world. I enjoyed how we really got to not only know these women's individual stories but a part of their families. One thing is clear while reading this, rarely does anyone do it alone and the support these women's families gave them, made all the difference; it's not just the story of these women but generations. I also enjoyed how, while Mr. Mitchell was celebrated for his strength and perseverance, he wasn't canonized, he was a living breathing man who's personality was formed in a different era and had all the highs and lows of it (colorism is discussed). It added to the carrying over and intertwining of generational butterfly effects.

“We all understood this to be a higher calling,” says McKinney-Griffith. “Suddenly that step on pointe made a difference. We were a group of brown people, of all different shades from different cities and countries. For those of us who’d felt for so long adrift and like a lonely standard bearer— to look around and feel the power of numbers was just extraordinary. We were en masse, so we were protected. Can you imagine the energy that freed up? The freedom to just focus on our craft. We never had to justify to each other our right to ballet.”

The second Act, focused more on the five women's individual stories and when they finally left DTH to move on and explore other avenues in life. Intermingled with the individual women's stories were chapters that also continued the timeline of what was happening at DTH. This timeline see-sawing tripped me up as a reader a few times and I thought hurt the flow of the book.

When the evening’s moderator, WBUR culture and arts reporter Cristela Guerra, asks the members of the Legacy Council to discuss the importance of telling their stories now at this moment in history, McKinney-Griffith responds with terrific gravity. “Because we all have a voice,” she says, looking intently around the room. “And we all need to project that out into the world. Otherwise someone else is going to write our history. Or not.”

Act three and the conclusion of the book brought the eventual closing of Dance Theatre of Harlem (due to lack of funds) but the creation of the 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy Council. After seeing Misty Copeland hailed as the first Black ballerina (Copeland often works to praise those that came before her), erasing all of DTH's successes, which are accounted in the book, had these five women wanting to reclaim their spot in history, along with the many others that worked to make DTH a success (there's a touching moment where the women talk about the men of the company and how hard the AIDs crisis in the '80s and '90s hit them). Through their work with the Council, new names and trailblazers are being rediscovered and their history brought to light and preserved. Even if you're not a fan of ballet (there's terms used that assume you have at least a rudimentary understanding of the world) this was a great cultural and historical door into a moment in time that helped build and feed into the next generation of Black dancers.

He wasn’t a Black man who dared to dance ballet. He was a dancer who dared ballet to see and celebrate his Blackness.

From the first lines of THE SWANS OF HARLEM, author Karen Valby enraptured me with the stories of five ballerinas who accomplished extraordinary feats of beauty against impossible odds. I loved learning their history, the richness and the diversity of their endeavors, the courage it took to face assumptions and dance unbelievable beauty. A standing ovation for an important, essential book shedding light on forgotten and incredibly influential and important women. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

This book truly is a reclamation. It covers the founding of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and especially the lives of five of its original ballerinas, filling in essential Black artistic history and restoring the women to their proper groundbreaking place. I sometimes get lost in group histories, wishing I knew more about each subject individually, but while all five are fascinating and could serve as the focus for a more focused biography, this book does an excellent job of moving between the women's artistic and personal lives--we meet their families, their teachers and their dance collaborators, and it manages to provide a fulfilling and satisfying portrait of each one. The best part of it is how much of it is in their own words--we hear their voices.

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for my free earc. My opinions are all my own.

We are blessed and eternally grateful for this publication, which is only the beginning of our Act Three. Act One brought us together as pioneers in the world of ballet, and Act Two was going our separate ways to explore what else life had to offer. Throughout it all, our sisterhood stayed very much alive. Thank you all, and thank you, Heavenly Spirit and Creator. ~ Acknowledgments from the Swans of Harlem

I love this quote that ended the book for a couple of reasons. One, it highlights the structure of the narrative, separated into three acts. Two, it shows the resilience of these five swans and the many other black ballerinas they represent. The five swans featured are: Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, and Karlya Shelton. They were all integral members of the Dance Theater of Harlem which was started and maintained for decades by the late Arthur Mitchell.
I googled DTH and these individual women and spent some time admiring the artistry and the images available honoring their legacy. This book is an important step in bringing their work back to life. There is quite a bit of ballet lingo that went over my head, but I still enjoyed reading about their dedication to their craft and the groundbreaking work done by Arthur Mitchell, these women and the hundreds of others who have been a part of DTH in the past 50+ years.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knoph, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Happy Publication Day!

The Swans of Harlem is a beautifully written retrospective histo-biography of Lydia Abarca and the Dance Theatre of Harlem chronicled by Karen Valby. Released 30th April 2024 by Knopf Doubleday on their Pantheon imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a meticulously researched and appelaingly accessible tribute to the beauty and resilience of these 5 ballerinas and the Harlem dance theatre. Ms. Abarca was an international success and celebrated as the "dreaming soul of dance" during the height of the civil rights movement. She was the first ballerina of color to be featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. 50 years later, her stories and successes were largely forgotten. This book is a tribute to her and other classical black dancers' beauty and strength.

There is poignancy and sadness, but awe-inspiring spirit and (although overused) resiliency. For any readers who are interested in classical dance and ballet, there is fascinating background and behind-the-scenes history to be found here. That the principals are also women of color is impressive.

Well written, thorough, and balanced history very much focused on the individual dancers involved. In the ARC and materials provided for review, there are no illustrations or photographs, but there is a very well researched bibliography and chapter notes which include many links for further reading.

Five stars. A good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, and gift giving to culture/dance/dance history interested readers.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I have very little personal experience with ballet, but I am fascinated with it. This particular art form is always intriguing to an outsider perspective, both fiction and nonfiction alike. From Barbie Nutcracker to Center Stage, it's well known that it's not easy being a ballerina. It's even tougher being a black one. The Swans of Harlem was a great book detailing the groundbreaking origin of 5 trailblazing dancers hidden in history. Misty Copeland is automatically who I imagine when I think of ballet and this book states multiple times that they were here first to put their melanated toes into ribboned slippers. She may have been the first Black principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre, but these Swans of Harlem have swum the treacherous water before her.

The Swans of Harlem was so well written and heavily researched. It's evident a lot of thought went into these pages. That being said, this took me a month to finish and I found it difficult to complete. This book was over 400 pages and I wasn't sure I would finish before the publication date. I appreciate the author's dedication to sharing this important piece of history, but I would have been happier with 100 pages shaved off. These women needed their story told and the author accomplished that task in a mighty way. It's a minor critique because The Swans of Harlem finally spread their wings in hopes of receiving their recognition that is long overdue.

Review posted to Goodreads 4/29. Will post on Amazon on 4/30

I really enjoyed this book, especially as someone with a dance background. Nonfiction isn’t a genre I usually read, but I appreciated this book. It addressed a lot of topics. I loved getting multiple viewpoints of different individuals about the history of black ballerinas. Even if you don’t understand ballet, I would still recommend this book as you can still learn a lot from this story.

There is a pervasive narrative that Misty Copeland is the first Black ballerina but there were many that came before her. This book shares the history and legacy of the first Black prima ballerinas with the Dance Theater of Harlem and explores the ways that being actively forgotten or left out of the history books impacts your mental health and sense of self. The interviews with these women and their families were so vulnerable and beautiful and I am so grateful for their openness. This is a must read!

Very informative. Never really thought about the trials and tribulations of black dancers and performers during Jim Crow and civil rights.

The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby

The Swans of Harlem is about five Black ballet dancers who come together after decades to share their stories of breaking the racial
barriers in the world of classical dance. They were all young girls in the 1950s with dreams, which actually materialized through hard work, determination and the vision of Arthur Mitchell.

Mitchell was a tough task master who could send the dancers off in tears, but got results. His belief in his dancers took many a novice ballerina and turned her into a swan. While the book is rich in details about the girls’ lives, it also explains how Mitchell, with practically no money, turned his Dance Theatre of Harlem into a group which traveled around the U.S. and to Europe to showcase their talent.

The growth of confidence in the these Black dancers was far- reaching. It extended to their children as well as future ballerinas, showing young Blacks how to be proud and go beyond limitations set to them by society. This four star book book is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in the history of ballet in NYC and how a handful of people can change society in one generation.

The Swans of Harlem was a story that should have been told long ago. This book tells the story of five Black women who were actually the first ballerinas long before Misty Copeland. The women were part of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, led by Arthur Mitchell. Swans tells of not only the ballerinas, but also historical events. The ballerinas went through so much to do what they loved doing. I loved that they were able to fulfill their dreams and become a part of history, and a history that should never be forgotten.. I would love to see a children’s book written so that young Black children could learn about their history.
While reading, I had a hard time following along with the fast changes of person and topic. Often I wasn’t sure who the author was referring to.
I still found the book to be very interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing company of Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the opportunity to read and review this important part of history. This review is my personal opinion.

The Swans of Harlem was a wonderful read and so refreshing to learn about something new, especially celebrating Black Excellence. Although non-fiction typically takes me a little longer to get through, I still ended up quickly making my way to the end. I throughly enjoyed each section told from the perspective of each of the five “Swans of Harlem,” especially the italicized chapters which were in the ballerinas’ own words. The pure emotion in their words almost brought me to tears. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to expand their own knowledge of black history.

This was a very interesting read! I loved hearing the story from the different points of view of the dancers from Dance Theater of Harlem who are still alive! I appreciate the people who write books like this to keep these stories alive.
Arthur Mitchell was quite the character! His vision for the DTH was inspiring, but some of the stories of how he treated his dancers were hard to hear, but the way the dancers formed bonds was lovely. The stories of young Black dancers who were so excited to see dancers who look like them on covers of magazines and being principal dancers on stage really shows how important representation is. And here were are where people still lose their damn minds over Black mermaids
I am glad that I got a window into this piece of history!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book for review purposes.

"The Swans of Harlem delves into the captivating history of the Dance Theater of Harlem, highlighting the remarkable journey of Black ballerinas whose talent and resilience shaped the world of dance. Centered around five exceptionally successful ballerinas, this narrative unveils a previously untold chapter of cultural significance. Initially expecting a work of Historical Fiction, I was surprised to discover it as a non-fiction account.

While the narrative brims with intrigue, I encountered difficulty in navigating its structure. The frequent shifts between timelines, seamlessly intertwining a ballerina's childhood, her journey into the theater, and reflections on her career, proved challenging to follow. Furthermore, the multitude of characters introduced throughout the book added complexity, requiring diligent effort to keep track of each individual.

Despite these challenges, immersing myself in the world of The Swans of Harlem was undeniably rewarding. Though a tough read at times, the profound insights and historical significance embedded within its pages made it an enjoyable and enlightening experience."

It seems so strange to even give this book a rating because of how much this book meant to me. I am am a big fan of history, it was my favorite subject in school and I am a ballerina too so I thought that I would enjoy this book and I was right. I think that preserving stories throughout history is very important especially POC voices. This book was very informative and as someone who has had an eating disorder in the past, whenever someone mentioned to be skinny or to stay in shape that really hit me. So overall, a fantastic and very informative book that I very much enjoyed.

Arthur Mitchell became the first African American dancer with the New York City Ballet in 1955. In 1969, at the height of the civil rights movement, and largely a response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., he opened the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH). This book is based on the author’s interviews with five of the founding ballerinas of DTH. This is an important read. I’ll say it again for the kids in the back, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT READ. During Black History Month, yes, but always. There are too making striking accounts to retell here but the one that sticks with me is a white child going to a winter production ballet and upon seeing a black ballerina remarks about the “dirty snowflake.” This is an important read. But to be completely transparent, this book took me a while to get through. I can’t tell for sure whether it’s the writing, or me. Because it feels conversational, maybe it would be better digested as an audiobook? The content is engaging and interesting but maybe it should have been shorter? It seemed so disorganized in parts. I also did not enjoy how hard the author is on Misty Copeland at the beginning. Sure, she’s not technically the “first black ballerina” but she is the first African American woman to make principal dancer in the 75 year history of the American Ballet Theatre. That shouldn’t be taken away from her. Solid 5 starts for the story, but the actual production of the novel, 3.5 stars.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com and the publisher in return for a fair review. Author Kaen Valby covers the creation of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and five of its black ballerinas: Lydia Abarca, Sheila Rohan, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, and Marcia Sells. Set in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement and long before Misty Copeland appeared in toe shoes, these five women struggled to be recognized as professional ballerinas in a dance world that was primarily white. While their stories were fascinating, it was hard to keep track of all of the players. The story jumped around from one to the next and was sometimes hard to follow. Arbaca seemed to be the star of the troop, while Arthur Mitchell (the founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem) appeared to be the bully who taught and berated them. I grew very curious about Mitchell--wondering why he acted the way he did. A little more background on him would have been interesting. The book was informative, I just wish it hadn't been so scattered. Picking one dancer and following through with her career while the rest intertwined, may have been a little better approach. Either way, these women deserve to be recognized for their outstanding talent and contribution to the art of ballet. They serve as inspiration for the rest of us--no matter who we are.

Brilliant non-fiction story of five Black ballerinas from Harlem in the 1950s and 1960s. I've heard of Misty Copeland as the pioneering Black ballerina, but the women in this book were the true pioneers of the ballet dance world. Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton, and Marcia Sells were the ballerinas that broke barriers with the Harlem Dance Theater. I was immersed in their stories of how they got started and embraced their careers and life events in an environment that wasn't always welcoming. They emerged from their dance company to share ballet all over the world and allowed other little girls of color to see the all important representation in a traditionally white art form. The sacrifices these women made so that they could pursue their passion of ballet was inspiring, and heartbreaking.
You have to read this book to find out how they overcame racism, sexism, and colorism just to dance and to learn about the dance companies, celebrities, and heads of state that they danced for. I highly recommend this book for all fans of dance, justice, and people who follow their dreams.

#TheSwansofHarlem #NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

An important story to share about very remarkable women. I very much enjoyed learning of the "Swans of Harlem".