Hidden Figures: Janet Collins #BlackHERstoryMonth 10/29 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Janet Collins #BlackHERstoryMonth 10/29

Janet Collins was born March 7, 1917 in New Orleans, Louisiana; moving to Los Angeles when she was four years old. She began dance training at the Los Angeles Catholic Community Center when she was ten, but her parents directed her more towards the visual arts, feeling there were more opportunities for black artists than black dancers. Collins went on to study art on a scholarship at Los Angeles City College and at the Los Angeles Art Center School, but she continued to dance in her free time, being trained by such professionals as Mia Slavenska, Prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. When Collins auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo company in 1932, at the age of 15, she was told that she had talent but “To be accepted, she would have to paint her skin white for performances.” Collins refused the other and reportedly responded with, “I thought talent mattered, not color.” Continuing to perform wherever she could, Collins worked as an adagio dancer in vaudeville shows through her teenage years, until she became the principal dancer in musical productions. In 1946 she appeared in the film ‘Thrill of Brazil’ and in 1950 she was the principal dancer in the Broadway production of ‘Out of this World,’ by Cole Porter. She also performed with Katherine Dunham’s dance company, and appeared with Dunham’s troupe in the all black 1943 film “Stormy Weather.” In November 1947 she gave her first solo concert in Los Angeles, performing dances choreographed to spirituals, and based on life in New Orleans. After a string of well-received performances in early 1949, Dance Magazine named her “the most outstanding debutante of the season.” That same year, Collins began teaching at Balanchine's School of American Ballet. At the age of 34, Janet Collins was hired by the Metropolitan Opera as its first ever Black prima ballerina. She is considered to have broken the ‘color barrier’ for black dancers in ballet when she performed in a production of ‘Aida’ at the Met in New York City on Nov. 13, 1951, four years before Marian Anderson would appear there as their first black lead opera singer. That same year, she won the Donaldson Award for the best dancer on Broadway. Despite being named prima ballerina in New York, Collins still dealt with segregation on the road. In some cities she was banned from performing with the ballet company in white-only establishments, with her parts played by understudies. As such, Collins also continued to tour as a solo performer and with her own dance group even while at the Met. Collins also worked as a modern dancer and choreographer, developing such dance pieces “Spirituals,” which she choreographed in 1947 and performed for the rest of her career. Janet Collins remained at the Met until 1954, before retiring to teach dance at the St. Joseph School for the Deaf in the Bronx. Later, she moved back West to Los Angeles, focusing on teaching Black American dancers in Watts; in 1974 she left behind both performing and teaching, moving to Seattle in order to spend the last years of her life pursuing her other love, painting. She left her Seattle studio in 2000 to be closer to family in Texas, and Janet Collins died on May 28, 2003 at an assisted living facility in Fort Worth, Texas. She was 86. #HiddenFigures #JanetCollins ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Janet Collins (dancer) - after the mardi gras (1949): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YILsJ9Rbwk&feature=emb_title 'Celebrating the Life of Janet Collins, an African-American Pioneer in Dance:' https://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/02/14/celebrating-janet-collins-dance JANET FAYE COLLINS (1917-2003): https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/collins-janet-faye-1917-2003/ Janet Collins: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/31/arts/janet-collins-86-ballerina-was-first-black-artist-at-met-opera.html 'NATURAL BALLERINA:' https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-10-19-0010190006-story.html 'Janet Collins, 86; Broke Ballet Color Line:' https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jun-02-me-collins2-story.html Janet Collins: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/11/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries Janet Collins (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Collins