The stories of six daring, groundbreaking Black ballet dancers leap off the pages of this beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book. Meet Essie Marie Dorsey, who in 1926 opened one of the first ballet schools for Black students; Arthur Mitchell, the first Black dancer with the New York City Ballet; Christian Holder, a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet; choreographer Dwight Rhoden; and present-day ballerinas Misty Copeland and Michaela DePrince. With a leap of faith and a love of dance, these Black Swans overcame obstacles and opened doors for all the children who dream of dancing.
"Black Swans is a super collection of mini biographies of black dancers, detailing some of the barriers they had to overcome to achieve their dream of dancing. My class were outraged at the unfair treatment of these dancers and loved the fact that despite this, the dancers still succeeded. The names may have been unfamiliar to them, but the sense of injustice the children felt was palpable. The il
