Impressions, misconceptions, and inspiration: How ballet in Seattle leapt beyond my reporting

The holiday season is a time for traditions, and for some, it's also a time to create new ones, especially after the pandemic when many events and gatherings were put on hold. Something I’ve started doing with my kids is taking them out to have experiences I didn’t get a chance to have when I was growing up.

One of the reasons I wanted to write a story about ballet dancer Jonathan Batista was because of the history he was making at the Pacific Northwest Ballet as the first Black person to be promoted to the role of principal dancer. His story is meaningful to so many in the Black dance community, and to people of color who are getting to see representation in the highest ranks of ballet, right here in Seattle.

I met Batista and his fellow company dancers at a class rehearsal on a clear Monday in October with KUOW photographer Megan Farmer. We caught up with him just before the company performed The Seasons' Canon.

My first impression of Batista: This guy is talented. He keeps a tight schedule that begins at 4:30 a.m. and includes two separate breakfasts, a couple of workouts, classes, show rehearsals, and sometimes side projects. The way Batista talks about the freedom ballet has given him to express himself is inspiring. As a woman of color, it made me proud to share the story of Batista’s history-making promotion.

As a young kid, I never saw a person who had dark skin like me performing ballet. If I did see a ballet at all, it was usually on television and it didn’t feel real or attainable. Understanding Batista’s career, and the history of PNB, felt like a story that had to be told. I knew it could potentially impact younger generations, and adults, who also didn't grow up attending ballet; and maybe help them see for the first time that the world of ballet is for them.

Ballet is an art form that has long had a reputation for being for the upper class, and for White audiences. Reporting this story was incredibly eye-opening for me, not just because I got a chance to see Batista bend and spin his body, but because I got to see him with his colleagues. Each of them was moving and expressing themselves to music in such a beautiful way. There was a lot of representation in the rehearsal room. Not just by color, but by body shape and size as well. As a woman born in West Africa, seeing people with my skin tone was heartwarming and welcoming. Some dancers were on the lighter side, like my own children. It felt as if, all the people in my life were somehow fully represented in that room.

I was proud to learn that half of PNB’s company identifies as people of color. They also have dancers that are transcending the traditional male and female ballet dance roles. PNB is writing a new chapter for the organization and future patrons.

Audiences may not understand this, but off stage, it takes a lot of time and effort to maintain being a professional dancer, not just to become one. As PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal explained, it’s not about male or female, or fitting “the part,” it’s about talent, and whether or not someone is a good enough dancer. It all adds up to beautiful, athletic dancers, moving and expressing themselves to tell stories with their bodies. Bodies that resemble the members of the community in our region.

I honestly expected to merely report a story, but I was moved by the whole experience. After 90 minutes of watching Batista and his fellow dancers in their company class, I asked myself if it was too late to take ballet and pursue a professional career. Through my reporting, I discovered that I am a big fan of ballet! I felt welcome in the rehearsal room, watching people who looked like me and my family perform at the highest levels.

It may be too late for me to become a ballet dancing pro, but I have two daughters that have taken ballet classes over the years, and it's not too late for them. My oldest was thrilled when I was telling her about my experience watching Batista dance. I had no idea how much this history-making moment would mean for me and the next generation of aspiring dancers in my own home. Now, I need to sign up for a ballet class.