The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarca was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company—the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a troupe of women and men who became each other’s chosen family. She was the first Black company ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, an Essence cover star; she was cast in The Wiz and in a Bob Fosse production on Broadway. She performed in some of ballet’s most iconic works with other trailblazing ballerinas, including the young women who became her closest friends—founding Dance Theatre of Harlem members Gayle McKinney-Griffith and Sheila Rohan, as well as first-generation dancers Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells.
These Swans of Harlem performed for the Queen of England, Mick Jagger, and Stevie Wonder, on the same bill as Josephine Baker, at the White House, and beyond. But decades later there was almost no record of their groundbreaking history to be found. Out of a sisterhood that had grown even deeper with the years, these Swans joined forces again—to share their story with the world.
Captivating, rich in vivid detail and character, and steeped in the glamour and grit of professional ballet, The Swans of Harlem is a riveting account of five extraordinarily accomplished women, a celebration of both their historic careers and the sustaining, grounding power of female friendship, and a window into the robust history of Black ballet, hidden for too long.
Press & Reviews
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In her dance history book The Swans of Harlem, author Karen Valby structures a magnificent, wide-ranging, complex narrative that’s both engaging and emotional.
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This just in from Apple Books! One of their Best Books of the Year (so far)! Yippee!!!
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The Swans of Harlem: Lydia Abarca Mitchell, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Lynn Sells, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin & Karen Valby in conversation with Bonnie Boswell at Live Talks Los Angeles discussing Karen Valby’s book, "The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History." The event was on May 15, 2024.
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New book "Swans Of Harlem" chronicles Dance Theatre of Harlem's pioneers. Hear from the dancers.
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Before there was Misty Copeland, there was Lydia Abarca.
At the height of the civil rights movement, she was a founding member of Dance Theater of Harlem, the first black woman to appear on the cover of Dance magazine, and the first black prima ballerina for a major company.
Yet, she and her pioneering contemporaries had largely been forgotten to history — until now.
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In partnership with Harlem School of the Arts, Word Up Community Bookshop Librería Comunitaria presents Karen Valby and her new book The Swans of Harlem, about the forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their fifty-year sisterhood, a legacy erased from history—until now.
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Lydia Abarca was born in New York in 1951. She studied ballet at the Juilliard School and the Harkness School before attending Fordham University, where she was discovered by Arthur Mitchell and was invited to join his Dance Theatre of Harlem as one of its founding members.
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In the Face of Prejudice, the ‘Black Swans’ Took the Ballet World by Storm
A new book shows how pioneering ballerinas captivated audiences and broke racial barriers.
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An evening of Art and Activism and a celebration of 50 years of sisterhood as BRIC Fund (Black Resilience in Colorado) hosts a moderated conversation with one of the Swans of Harlem and Colorado native Karlya Shelton-Benjamin and Founder, Artistic Director and Choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson.
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Author Karen Valby's new book, 'The Swans of Harlem,' tells the forgotten story of pioneering Black ballerinas and their 50-year sisterhood, shining a light on their historic careers and the power of female friendship in the world of Black ballet.
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Karen Valby’s The Swans of Harlem tells the remarkable and—until now—rarely written about true story of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a trailblazing troupe of Black men and women who performed some of ballet’s most iconic works for the such audiences as the Queen of England, the White House, and Stevie Wonder. This history focuses on five foundational members of the group and their enduring bond, including Lydia Abarça, the first Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company, the first Black ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, and an Essence cover star; and her equally accomplished friends, Gayle McKinney, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, and Karlya Shelton. Valby is a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair, and has also published work in The New York Times, O Magazine, Glamour, Fast Company, and EW, where she spent fifteen years writing about culture.
Book Tour
