PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Chanel Holland has been on a mission to bring ballet to underserved communities since 2017. She established the Chocolate Ballerina Company to give Black and brown children a shot at free professional dance lessons, and build more equitable access to performances.
"I wanted to provide an avenue for them to be seen by the Alvin Ailey [American Dance Theater], the Dance Theatre of Harlem, to be on the stages of the Joyce Theater and the Mandela [Theatre]. Philadelphia is a canvas for raw talent, and it's often hidden between things — the city violence and the politics. Philadelphia is the heart of the Avenue of the Arts," Holland said enthusiastically.
Holland's mission was briefly interrupted by COVID-19, which put an intermission in productions and in-person performances. But she didn't let the curtain call end there. This winter season, she's bringing a first of its kind historic performance to Philadelphia.
"It'll be the first African-American cast and 'Nutcracker' premiere at the Mandell Theatre at Drexel University," she declared.
"The Nutcracker... Dipped in Chocolate" will bring a new flavor to the holiday classic.
A few of the featured performers were offered a chance for a full-circle moment for inspiration by the Kimmel Center for Cultural Arts. This month, they were invited to the Merriam Theater to watch the first Black lead in the Broadway musical "Anastasia," Kyla Stone. They also got an exclusive talkback with the cast following the show. It was exactly the inspiration that 20-year-old Noni Diarra, who will star as the sugar plum fairy, needed.
"Growing up, I didn't have those role models I could look up to in dance. You have Misty Copeland now. But she didn't become a principal until I was, like, in high school, I think. So growing up, I didn't see dark-skinned girls who look like me or women who look like me being in positions like this and being in the forefront," she explained.
"We may get like small roles and things like that. But just seeing someone who looks like you in the forefront, as well as other Black folks in the cast, it means a lot. Representation is everything. So I'm glad that kids younger than me are are able to grow up and see these things and aspire to be able to be on Broadway one day. It means a lot."
Diarra, a North Philadelphia native, said she hopes to open her own dance studio one day, to provide more opportunities for young girls and boys in her home community.
"My dance studio was like a family. I've learned so much not even just through training, but through discipline and things that I can apply day-to-day, to not be complacent and always growing," she said. "I've learned so much from my dance teachers, not just dance, but life lessons as well.”
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The show premieres on December 19. Tickets have already sold out, but Holland promised this is only the beginning.
“What Chocolate Ballerina Company is doing is we're going to start to begin to provide seasonal showings and performances that people can come and look forward to each fall, spring, and summer, and go into the community and provide free performances in our neighborhoods, so they can see ballerinas that look like us," she said.
"They can see African American dancers doing what they feel is a predominantly white and/or privileged skill, right in the neighborhood of where they're living."