Raven Wilkinson, 83, Is Dead
Richardg234
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January 08, 2019
Ann Raven Wilkinson (February 2, 1935 – December 17, 2018) was an American dancer who is credited with having been the first
African-American woman to dance for a major
classical ballet company. Wilkinson broke the
color barrier in 1955 when she signed a contract to dance full-time with the
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe,
and remained with the company for six years. Wilkinson later became a
mentor to
American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland, presenting Copeland with the 2014
Dance Magazine Award.
Anne Raven Wilkinson was born in New York City on February 2, 1935,
to Anne James Wilkinson and Dr. Frost Bernie Wilkinson, a dentist. She
had a brother six years younger, Frost Bernie Wilkinson Jr. The family
lived in a middle-class neighborhood in
Harlem Her father's office at 152nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue was located across the street from the
Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Wilkinson became a ballet fan at the age of five after seeing Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform
Coppelia. Her mother, who had studied ballet in Chicago, took young Raven to the
School of American Ballet for lessons. But, they said they could not accept her until she was nine, so she initially trained in the
Dalcroze method. According to Wilkinson, "It was basically eurhythmics and was all about music and tempi and meters."
For her ninth birthday, an uncle made her the gift of ballet lessons at
the Swoboda School, later known as the Ballet Russe School. Wilkinson's first teachers included well-known dancers from Russia’s
Bolshoi Theatre, Maria and Vecheslav Swoboda.
Sergei Denham, director of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo,
bought the Swoboda School in 1951, giving Wilkinson an opportunity to
audition for the troupe. Although she was light-skinned, acceptance into
a ballet company was unlikely because of her race. Fellow ballet
students also advised her not to seek a position.
But, in 1954, Wilkinson auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
She was rejected. On a second attempt, she was rejected once again. On
her third try, in 1955, Denham informed her that she had been accepted
on a six-week trial basis. She was 20 years old.
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