Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — The Chocolate Ballerina Company is getting ready.<\/p>\n
The dancers from across the region are gathering today in Philadelphia for last minute preps, practices, and pirouettes of their latest performance. The show, called “The Black Swan…A Swan Lake premiere” will kick off in April at the Schwartz Center for the Arts in Delaware.<\/p>\n
CEO Chanel Holland-Pierre says it’s a groundbreaking performance. She knows what to expect. “Representation for me is very exclusive when it comes to ballet. What I find is interesting about a ballerina company, not only are dancers representing their communities, but they’re representing those who came before them and those who they saw on stage.”<\/p>\n
Chocolate Ballerina Company is a community-based dance organization located in Philadelphia that aims to inspire and educate underserved communities through dance and ballet. This year, Chanel says they are focusing on diversity among the performers.<\/p>\n
Principal dancer Armanee Edwards of Burlington Township, New Jersey says “Ballet is very hard. I want to just put that out there first. Ballet is not easy. It’s so rewarding to fight for something that’s hard. You know, it’s like that gratification when you get the step or you finally get the character. The way your director sees it, it’s like it’s so gratifying.”<\/p>\n
She knows that dancers-to-be look up to her. “I also am a dance teacher in the city. I’ve been doing it for about 11 years now. So, a lot of my students come to the shows, they come to see the Chocolate Ballerina. They get to see kids that are a little bit older than them or kids that are their age, and they get to see them on stage and doing the same things that they dream of doing.”<\/p>\n
The show is also the first time they’ll be premiering at an HBCU, in this case Delaware State University.<\/p>\n