Written by Chloé Lopes GomesIn 2018 I became the first Black ballet dancer to join Berlin's principal ballet company, the Staatsballett. Chloé Lopes Gomes became the first Black dancer at Berlin's prestigious Staatsballett in 2018. Credit: Chloé DesnoyersWe start ballet very young, often when we are just seven or eight years old. Many young dancers are trained to believe that, to become a ballerina, pain is part of the process. Ballet is still designed for White dancers, down to the shoes and makeup we wear. It's so beautiful to see a blonde girl next to a Black girl, or a brown girl next to an Asian girl, all following the same choreography.

Source: CNN February 19, 2021 08:37 UTC