Olivia Boisson
Born
Forest Hills, Queens
New York City, New York
United States
EducationSchool of American Ballet
OccupationBallet dancer
Years active2012–present
Career
Current groupNew York City Ballet

Olivia Boisson is an American ballet dancer. In 2013, she joined the corps de ballet at New York City Ballet, becoming the first black person to join the company in a decade.

Biography

Olivia Boisson was born in Queens, New York to Haitian immigrants.[1] She began dancing when she was six years old, training at The Ballet Arts School of Forest Hills in Forest Hills, Queens. In 2000, she studied classical ballet at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2004, she enrolled as a full-time student at the School of American Ballet and was the only African-American dancer in her year.[2][3] She was a recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award in 2012, joining the New York City Ballet as an apprentice that same year.[4] In December 2013, she became a member of the company's corps de ballet, becoming the first black dancer to join the company in a decade.[2]

Her repertoire at New York City Ballet has included roles in George Balanchine's ballets such as Prayer in Coppélia, Coffee in The Nutcracker, Chaconne, and The Four Temperaments. She has also danced as a princess in Peter Martins' Swan Lake and Cellos in Jerome Robbins' Fanfare.[4] As a member of the corps de ballet, she was an original cast member in JR's Les Bosquets.[4]

In 2018, in honor of Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday, Boisson was featured in Melika Dez and Jeremy McQueen's 100 FISTS, a photography series that featured black dancers in New York City.[5] That same year, Boisson and other members of New York City Ballet modeled for Puma's Spring/Summer collection and their Do You campaign.[6][7]

References

  1. ↑ "Brown Ballerina Spotlight: Q & A Olivia Boisson". Browngirlsdoballet.com. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  2. 1 2 Thomason, Kristine (23 February 2018). "'I Always Knew I'd Be A Ballerina—Even Though Very Few Women In The Industry Look Like Me'". Women's Health. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "NYCB's Olivia Boisson on What It's Really Like Being a Ballet Dancer of Color". Dancespirit.com. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "NYCB - New York City Ballet - Dancers". Archived from the original on 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  5. ↑ "The Black Iris Project Photographed 100 Black Dancers Around NYC in Celebration of Nelson Mandela's Centennial". Pointemagazine.com. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "NYCB Dancers Show Off PUMA's Spring/Summer Collection". Pointe. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  7. ↑ "KARL AMDAL - PUMA - DO YOU - OLIVIA BOISSON". Karlamdal.com. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
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