Toronto dance artist Syreeta Hector is curious about the unconscious ways in which people try to fit into society. As someone who is Mi’kmaq, African Canadian, and French Acadian, the York University assistant professor of dance is keenly aware of the nuances and multiplicities of identity.
Hector’s extensive research and deep understanding of the vocabulary of dance come together Black Ballerina. Her solo piece is rooted on her own Blackness and Indigeneity in relation to her experiences in classical ballet.
“Black Ballerina can be for anyone that has struggled to fit into society or a particular community,” Hector said in a news release. “It’s not just about race, it’s also about re-imagining what we can do for the sustainability of dance performance in our future.”
Native Earth Performing Arts will present three performances from May 23 to 25 at Aki Studio in Toronto.
Like other racialized artists, Black ballet dancers have endured tremendous racism and exclusion. In the 1950s, Raven Wilkinson was forced to pose as a white woman by painting her face to perform in America. Janet Collins, another African American, faced similar barriers.
It wasn’t until 1982 that Debra Austin landed the first principal dancer contract with a U.S. ballet company—the Pennsylvania Ballet. That was 35 years after Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in Major League Baseball. In 1990, Lauren Anderson rose up through the ranks to become principal dancer with the Houston Ballet.
“Black Ballerina is based on my personal experience,” Hector said in a 2022 interview on the York University website. “I think about when I started practising ballet and all the different boundaries that are in place because of systemic racism.”
Hector won’t forget her ancestors
She considers the “idea of identity and Eurocentric based dance forms – who we see on stage and who is left behind.” In a “logistical sense”, Hector added, Black Ballerina started when she was studying for her master’s degree at York University.
After graduating in 2016, she worked on short versions of Black Ballerina, gaining attention at SummerWorks Festival the following year. In 2019, it won the Stratford Festival Lab Award for Research and Creation. Then in 2020, Hector was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance by an Individual for Black Ballerina.
She revealed in the York University interview that for a long time, she didn’t know about her Indigenous heritage.
“There is a very complicated history of African and Indigenous people in Nova Scotia – why didn’t I learn about it in school? Why was it during my Masters that I was able to start learning about this crazy, important history?” Hector stated. “That always comes back to how I feel about dancing and how I feel about being in the world. I don’t want to forget anything. I don’t want to forget my ancestors.”
Black Ballerina is now a 45-minute production with sound design by Germaine Liu and Mark Zurawinski, who are also providing music. Other music in the show is by Marie Davidson, Richard Reed Parry, Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Red, and XRNA. Helin Gungoren oversees stage management and Noah Feaver is in charge of lighting design. Set design is by Elissa Horscroft, Tristan Goethel, and Mary Spyrakis (courtesy of Canadian Stage).
Hector has previously worked for Adelheid Dance Projects, Danny Grossman Dance Company, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Political Movement, and Toronto Dance Theatre. As she continues touring Black Ballerina, she is working on a second chapter of the series.
Event details
Native Earth Performing Arts will present Syreeta Hector’s Black Ballerina at Aki Studio (585 Dundas Street East, #120) from May 23 to 25. For more information and tickets, visit the Native Earth website.
Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
