Introduction

I’ve grown up and identified as an Iranian-American woman my entire life. My parents made it fairly easy for me to grow up in a world where I didn’t experience much racism or discrimination. Always telling me I could do anything I dreamed of. But that didn’t come without the generational pain of what my parents experienced when they immigrated to the United States as it’s not a new understanding that people of color experience systematic discrimination in the U.S. My parents fought to give me a life and a foundation where I believed in myself, and I believe that ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell believed in the same foundations of allowing anyone with a dream to achieve the things they desire and believe in.

(Arthur Mitchell, 1960. Peter Basch, New York)

I found American ballet dancer and choreographer Arthur Mitchell, to be an incredibly inspiring person. He was the first black dancer with New York City Ballet where he took on the role of principal dancer. To be the first I imagine is to feel the greatest in your time and I find great solace in the stories and lives of strong, radical figures. Especially because historically, radical figures in history are people of color. And I really believe that what Arthur Mitchell did in creating the Dance Theatre of Harlem, was an act of great defiance. The world of ballet is historically created for white aristocrats and the idea of a person saying 'I understand that my body has never had a place in this art but I will create it for myself', is really beautiful. Arthur Mitchell understood the need for inclusivity and and created safe and prosperous spaces for dancers to express themselves regardless of socio-economics, race, or identity.