Alonzo King Lines Ballet: Opening the Door for Dancers of Color

ENTERTAINMENT-A review of Alonzo King's newest ballet, "The Propelled Heart"
By Claudia Sanchez

Alonzo King Lines Ballet's Kara Wilkes and singer Lisa Fischer

The ballet world has always been considered racist. Whether it’s rejecting dancers of color for “having the wrong body type,” refusing to promote dancers, or refusing to hire dancers to begin with. But the larger issue stopping diversity in the ballet world is access. 

Ballet has always been something exclusive. Because it is considered to be “high art,” ballet classes, particularly those for children, are incredibly expensive, as are costumes, and performance tickets. This makes ballet an unattainable dream for many low-income people, particularly people of a lower income who are also systematically oppressed.  

The rise of Misty Copeland, a Los Angeles native, to become a principal ballet dancer for the American ballet company, has revolutionized the ballet world. However, there is a San Francisco company which not only hires amazingly talented dancers of color, but is also one of the few dance companies run by an African American man. 

The company’s head, Alonzo King, is a visionary and one of the best ballet choreographers alive today, with the honorary degrees and Kennedy Center awards to prove it. His newest ballet “The Propelled Heart,” is a view into his creative subconcious. The surreal and emotional ballet is made up of sixteen small pieces which all connect to tell a single story. 

Inspired by Lisa Fischer, a Grammy winning singer [“How Can I Ease the Pain?” won “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance,”] her decades long career, and multi instrumentalist JC Malliard, King choreographs a ballet about confusion, oppression, and the ultimate freedom that comes from escaping these things. 

Lisa Fischer, wearing a dramatic brown duster with a feathered hem, sings throughout the entire performance and interacts with the dancers, playing the role of prima ballerina. Her magnificent voice echoes through the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as she uses two microphones to create vocal effects for herself. Her singing varies from groans and moans, to singing spirituals, to singing her Grammy winning song. Fischer is a scene stealer, but the dancers hold their own against her.

The twelve dancers, all of whom have been classically trained, perform seemingly impossible feats onstage. Dressed in minimalist draped clothing in sheer pastel and neutral colors, the dancers let their performances be the center of attention. They float weightlessly across the stage as they jump and turn through the stage.

King’s exquisite choreography has the dancers switch from effortless dancing, to forced and painful looking poses. The choreography which varies between all of the dancers, becomes layered and more emotional as the ballet continues. The dancers emote beautifully, even yelling, howling, and singing in times of importance. 

The stage is bare and is meant to direct the audience’s attention to the dancers and Fischer, a scene stealer. The slightly gloomy and mysterious lighting helps add an ethereal quality to the show, which fits both the ballet and the company perfectly.

Alonzo King’s ballet company proves that you can create a marvelous ballet with African American, Latino, and Asian dancers without fear of casting less talented dancers. Hopefully, this kind of company will eventually become the norm instead of an anomaly in the dance world.