Book description
Dancer Janet Collins, born in New Orleans in 1917 and raised in Los
Angeles, soared high over the color line as the first African-American
prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera. Night's Dancer chronicles the
life of this extraordinary and elusive woman, who became a unique
concert dance soloist as well as a black trailblazer in the white world
of classical ballet. During her career, Collins endured an era in which
racial bias prevailed, and subsequently prevented her from appearing in
the South. Nonetheless, her brilliant performances transformed the way
black dancers were viewed in ballet. The book begins with an unfinished
memoir written by Collins in which she gives a captivating account of
her childhood and young adult years, including her rejection by the
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Dance scholar Yael Tamar Lewin then picks
up the thread of Collins's story. Drawing on extensive research and
interviews with Collins and her family, friends, and colleagues to
explore Collins's development as a dancer, choreographer, and painter,
Lewin gives us a profoundly moving portrait of an artist of indomitable
spirit. "Night's Dancer: The Life of Janet Collins is an
enthralling read. It reinforces Collin's struggle, personal strength and
ultimate success. While following her dreams with endless energy, she
leapt over boundaries."--Karen Barr, Dance International YAEeL
TAMAR LEWIN is a dance historian, writer, and dancer living in New York
City.
