Meet India Bradley, New York City Ballet's first Black female soloist

The buzz preceding India Bradley's October promotion to New York City Ballet (NYCB) soloist, making her the first Black ballerina to assume that position in the company's 76-year-history, has morphed into a proliferation of congratulations to the captivating young dancer, highlighting the significance of the event.

- By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews

India Bradley as Coffee in NYCB's production of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker." India Bradley rehearsing role of Dewdrop in NYCB's production of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker." India Bradley as Hot Chocolate in NYCB's production of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker." (Erin Baiano photos)

(Erin Baiano)

Bradley's long-limbed elegance, sparkling vitality, and charming charisma have long made her someone to watch. In 2023, it added something special to her debut as Dewdrop in “George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.” Since the legendary Tanaquil LeClercq premiered that role in 1954, it has been considered one of the delights of NYCB’s seasonal favorite production. Dewdrop leads the Waltz of the Flowers section of the ballet, with choreography full of “short bursts of ravishing, effervescent dancing, with turns and jumps that appear and disappear as quickly as dew falling on a petal.” The buzz around Bradley’s performance quickly turned into thunderous applause and has now resulted in the historic promotion.

Dance Magazine and the New York Times announced Bradley's promotion, along with five other NYCB soloists — Victor Abreu, Dominika Afanasenkov, Naomi Corti, Mary Thomas MacKinnon, and Andres Zuniga. Black Enterprise proudly declared that she was “making history in the dance world.”

After all, it was a world that had long resisted the inclusion of the Black dancer. Even as American ballet began to welcome Black male dancers, like Arthur Mitchell, Keith Lee, Desmond Richardson, Albert Evans, and Taylor Stanley, companies continued to resist embracing Black and Brown ballerinas.