ニューヨーク・タイムズさんのインスタグラム写真 - (ニューヨーク・タイムズInstagram)「Aesha Ash is becoming the first Black female permanent faculty member of the esteemed School of American Ballet. Ash, who grew up in Rochester, New York, has a long history with the institution. As a student, she attended the @sab_nyc, the academy of New York City Ballet, and had a leading role in its annual Workshop Performances. Then she took the natural next step: She joined City Ballet, in 1996. Back then, the ballet world was less concerned with diversity than it is now. “I wasn’t just dancing for myself, and I wasn’t just dancing to rise through the ranks and be seen by a director to promote me,” Ash said. “It was so much bigger than that. I was trying to battle stereotypes and biases on that stage every single night. And I succeeded in some and I failed in others.” Now she finds herself in a position to continue that mission — not only for herself but also for generations to come. The school, formed by George Balanchine, the founding choreographer of City Ballet, and Lincoln Kirstein, was envisioned to include a student body of 8 white children and 8 Black children. That didn’t happen. The institution had relied too long on a system that Balanchine put in place: having students from the school and City Ballet return as teachers. But there were few Black alumni, and, until recently, they weren’t being invited to teach. Ash takes her role as a mentor seriously. “I hope that as a teacher I can help shape and form dancers,” she said, “and just remind them that if you don’t get the company of your choice, if you don’t get into this career, that it’s not the end all be all. There are really so many other beautiful ways to participate.” Read more at the link in our bio. Photo by @lelanief」8月19日 9時00分