The Philadelphia Ballet welcomes pioneer ballerina Debra Austin back to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend as part of a new series called “Dance Legends Masterclass.” The series gives young dancers access to Philly’s rich art history.
Austin remembers dancing with such passion.
“It was great. It was so much fun. I enjoyed it,” Austin said. “Once I started, I thought, that’s what I wanted.”
She put on her first ballet shoes when she was ten. Little did she know that she would soon become a pioneer.
Austin was the first black dancer to join the New York City Ballet in 1971. Nearly a decade later, she became the first black ballerina to become a principal dancer with a major ballet company, the Pennsylvania Ballet, known as the Philadelphia Ballet.
“In 60 years, I was the only one,” Austin said. “That’s great.”
Although she’s seen as a legend who broke new ground on a stage where there wasn’t much diversity, Austin says she had one job: to perform.
“You’re just one of us. You’re just one of the dancers in the company,” she said. “We don’t actually see the color of your skin.”
Now Austin returns to Philadelphia for one weekend only as part of the new Philadelphia Ballet series called Dance Legends Masterclass.
Although she no longer performs, Austin has found joy in inspiring other young dancers.
“I always enjoy new students, new talent. I love this art form. It gives me great inspiration to continue with it and teach, to have the diversity and the black children studying, the more we hope to become dancers become.”
Austin will be recognized at Friday’s 60th Anniversary Gala and Performance, where she will receive the David F. Hoffman Award for Artistic Achievement. Tickets are still available online.
Wakisha Bailey
