African American Dancers With Pink Ribbons - 1392 Words

C. Investigation. A post by Eric Underwood ( source H ) challenged Bloche (a major dance wear company) on social media by posting a picture of himself painting his ballet shoes with his skin tone make up. A phenomenon used by most dancers of colour as dance shoes tend to only come in beige ,pink ,white and black. A White Russian dancer replied to Eric Underwoods post with â€Å"Why don t dancers of colour use ordinary black shoes†. This was not the only racially offensive comment made towards the post and is one of many made daily towards dancers of colour. This is what provoked this investigation. An investigation that provides insight into the obstacles/challenges encountered by African American dancers with regards to being successful in the world of dance and key figures that have overcome this struggle. There are many major obstacle facing African American dancers that contribute to racial segregation in the dance world. For instance flesh coloured shoes with pink ribbons are the traditional foot wear for ballet which dates back the 1820’s. Many African American dancers have questioned major dance wear companies who use this tradition as an excuse not to provide all the different skin tone dance wear. It is not only the dance wear companies refusing to adapt to modern societies idea of equality but other white dancers and companies as well. African American dancers of colour since they can remember have been made to feel less then that of a White American