Lifted was a historic recent production at the American Ballet Theatre. The work featured an entirely Black cast and key creative team with the intention of highlighting, amplifying, and celebrating Black voices. We spoke to ABT dancers and Lifted’s visionary choreographer Chris Rudd about the production, Black History Month, and more.
Equinox: Can you speak to your experience in Lifted?
“Lifted was the very first time I was not taking on a role that was already created, but instead shaping a character,” says Melvin Lawovi, ABT main company dancer. “I feel inspired by every Black dancer that came before me [who] went beyond stereotypes and judgment to create a presence in spaces where we were not represented or thought of.”
"Being part of Lifted was so thrilling—not solely for its groundbreaking nature, but because it was another opportunity, as an artist, to bring a story to life on stage. Throughout the rehearsal period leading up to the premiere, we dove into the many ways the choreography and storytelling spoke to our individual and collective experiences as Black people. We also worked to discover the universality of what makes us all human—self-reflection, finding community, and striving to reach one’s full potential. It was an emotional journey, but also incredibly empowering," says Calvin Royal III, ABT Principal Dancer.
Equinox: How will you honor Black History Month and which Black dancers inspire you?
"We owe a lot to those who blazed a path for us," says Madison Brown, ABT Studio Company Dancer. "I am truly inspired by Misty Copeland. She broke the ultimate glass ceiling at ABT and I hope to continue to build on the great legacy she has created. Along with Rena Butler, Hope Boykin, and Houston Thomas who are some of the amazing people the studio company has given me the opportunity to work with."
"I hope to honor Black History Month by continuing to work to my utmost potential knowing that it is a privilege and an honor to dance with ABT Studio Company," says Kyra Coco, ABT Studio Company Dancer. "A few Black dancers that inspire me are Misty Copeland and Francesca Hayward. I was also trained by Lorraine Graves, former Dance Theater of Harlem principal, so she was a huge inspiration as well. And of course, my mom, Lydia Roberts Coco, who was a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater," adds Coco.
“I’m inspired by…Black innovators and change-makers in dance. Arthur Mitchell was a dance pioneer who became the first African-American Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet back in the 1950s," says Calvin Royal III, ABT Principal Dancer. “After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., [Mitchell] went on to establish the Dance Theatre of Harlem, which became a haven for black artists to have safer spaces in order to reach higher heights in classical ballet.”
Equinox: Can you talk about your experience creating Lifted?
“From conception to premiere, the entire Lifted experience was exhilarating,” says choreographer Chris Rudd. “It felt like magic watching the work come to life on opening night.I asked myself ‘what could happen if the DNA of an entire ballet was made from Black people?’ I thought about it shortly after George Floyd was murdered. And I realized it was something that the ballet world needed and I wanted, and the country [could] witness.”