Celebrating the Life of Dancer Raven Wilkinson | March 19

Sunday, March 19, 2023 — 4:00 pm

Raven Wilkinson (1935 -2018) is credited with having been the first African-American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. In August 1955 at the age of 20, she received a full time contract with the Ballet Russe de MonteCarlo of New York City. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the company for six years. Wilkinson later became a mentor to American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland.

Please join City Ballet of Los Angeles Founder and Artistic Director Robyn Gardenhire and dance historian Ariyan Johnson for a talk about the life and legacy of this legendary artist.

About our speakers:

Robyn Gardenhire is the founder and artistic director of City Ballet of Los Angeles. As the artistic director and principal choreographer, Ms. Gardenhire has developed ballets that are classical as well as cutting edge, bringing new stories and perspective to the ballets.

Ariyan Johnson is an American actress, television director, dancer and choreographer. Johnson is best known for her roles as Chantel Mitchell in the 1992 indie drama film Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Dance at University of California Irvine teaching Hip Hop and Jazz.

Performers include: LACHSA and Colburn School Dancers, Colburn School Pianist Saiko.