blackdancemag.org

 SPOTLIGHT – ATLANTA: Ballethnic honored with street name, prepares next generation of organizational leaders

By Norma Porter

Founded in 1990, Ballethnic became the second professional, Black Ballet company in addition to the Dance Theatre of Harlem, which was founded by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook in 1968.

Thirty-four years later, Ballethnic founders Nena Gilreath and Waverly T. Lucas II are “spreading the gospel of Ballet” regionally in the Greater Atlanta area and internationally in Canada, Holland, and Tanzania. The couple’s impact locally has garnered the attention of local government officials.

East Point, GA Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham and the city council voted unanimously to change the street name Ballethnic is located on from Cheney Street to Ballethnic Way last September.

The renaming ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, June 29.

Christopher Swain, Public Arts Coordinator for the City of East Point, GA is also a longtime East Point resident who appreciates Ballethnic’s contribution to the region.

“I have worked and lived in East Point, Georgia for 24 years, and I have always been aware of Ballethnic company. I formed a friendship with Nena and Waverly. We always discussed the history of Black Dance in America, and how important representation is in the dance field,” said Christopher Swain, Public Arts Coordinator for the City of East Point. “Throughout the years I’ve seen them perform many times. Ballethnic has always been the go-to for cultural entertainment in East Point. I recognize too many arts agencies are not recognized properly. People call upon them for their services, but never acknowledge what they bring to the table. For me, this is an opportunity to give them their flowers that they so richly deserve. They worked tirelessly.”

Unlike many organizations, Ballethnic was fortunate enough to have made “great strides in different arenas of the company” during the pandemic, Gilreath said. “We are fully recovered from the pandemic, but not from the trauma. We are working on our infrastructure as it relates to our technology and training alumni to take the torch.”

Ballethnic received a Microsoft grant that helped with software and rewiring the building for faster internet, which improved the quality of the Zoom classes the company hosts in Tanzania, Gilreath said.

Gilreath and Lucas recently promoted Ballethnic alum Laila Howard to Artistic Administrator and Production Director, which allows Gilreath and Lucas to focus on traveling and teaching regionally, nationally and abroad. Gilreath and Lucas recently traveled to Toronto to work with the National Ballet School of Canada.

Between travel, hosting a summer camp and teaching in other regional programs, Gilreath and Lucas are also working on succession plans, according to Lucas.

“It’s imperative that it’s not just a good little run for Ballethnic and then when the founders move on it collapses. We are cultivating the next generation of leadership,” Lucas explained.

Ballethnic has a capital campaign to raise $7.5 million to expand the campus, which includes renovating the existing building, and creating spaces for archiving, outdoor performances and gatherings.

Ballet coach and Dance Theatre of Harlem ballerina Lydia Mitchell has been affiliated with Ballethnic since 1993. She said watching Gilreath and Lucas work together reminds her of Arthur Mitchell’s commitment to excellence.

“They are from the third generation of DTH,” Mitchell said. “They came to Atlanta with the same ideals and aspirations of Mr. Mitchell, to offer quality Ballet training. I am so proud of Nena and Waverly. They have worked so hard all these years. They are a cultural treasure.”