The swans of Harlem: five Black ballerinas, fifty years of sisterhood, and the reclamation of their groundbreaking history

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Author:
Valby, Karen
Language:
English
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Athens Drive Community - Adult Non-Fiction
792.809 VALBY
Duraleigh Road - Adult Non-Fiction has 4
792.809 VALBY
Eva H. Perry Regional - Adult Non-Fiction has 2
792.809 VALBY

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ISBN:
9780593317525
9780593469668

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Grouped Work ID7658caf5-c385-462b-68bc-554688ad477f
Grouping Titleswans of harlem five black ballerinas fifty years of sisterhood and the reclamation of their groundbreaking history
Grouping Authorkaren valby
Grouping Categorybook
Grouping LanguageEnglish (eng)
Last Grouping Update2025-06-24 05:08:33AM
Last Indexed2025-07-02 05:13:42AM

Solr Fields

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accelerated_reader_reading_level
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author
Valby, Karen
author_display
Valby, Karen
available_at_catalog
Athens Drive Community
Duraleigh Road Community
Eva H. Perry Regional
Express Library Fayetteville St.
Holly Springs Community
Morrisville Community
North Regional
Northeast Regional
Southgate Community
Zebulon Community
collection_catalog
Adult Non-Fiction
detailed_location_catalog
Athens Drive Community - Adult Non-Fiction
Duraleigh Road - Adult Non-Fiction
Eva H. Perry Regional - Adult Non-Fiction
Express - Fayetteville St. - Adult Non-Fiction
Holly Springs Community - Adult Non-Fiction
Leesville Community - Adult Non-Fiction
Morrisville Community - Adult Non-Fiction
North Regional - Adult Non-Fiction
Northeast Regional - Adult Non-Fiction
Southeast Regional - Adult Non-Fiction
Southgate Community - Adult Non-Fiction
Zebulon Community - Adult Non-Fiction
display_description
"The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas, the first principals in the Dance Theatre of Harlem, who traveled the world as highly celebrated stars in their field and whose legacy was erased from history until now. At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarça was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company-the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She was the first Black ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, an Essence cover star, cast in The Wiz and on Broadway with Bob Fosse. She performed in some of ballet's most iconic works with her closest friends-founding members of the company, the Swans of Harlem, Gayle McKinney, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, and Karlya Shelton-for the Queen of England and Mick Jagger, with Josephine Baker, at the White House, and beyond. Some forty years later, when Lydia's granddaughter wanted to show her own ballet class evidence of her grandmother's success, she found almost none, but for some yellowing photographs and programs in the family basement. Lydia had struggled for years to reckon with the erasure of her success, as all the Swans had. Still united as sisters in the present, they decided it was time to share their story themselves. Captivating, rich in vivid detail and character, and steeped in the glamor and grit of professional ballet, The Swans of Harlem is a riveting account of five extraordinarily accomplished women, a celebration of their historic careers, and a window into the robust history of Black ballet, hidden for too long"--
format_catalog
Book
format_category_catalog
Books
id
7658caf5-c385-462b-68bc-554688ad477f
isbn
9780593317525
9780593469668
last_indexed
2025-07-02T09:13:42.572Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_catalog
792.809 VALBY
owning_library_catalog
Wake County Public Libraries
owning_location_catalog
Athens Drive Community
Duraleigh Road Community
Eva H. Perry Regional
Express Library Fayetteville St.
Holly Springs Community
Leesville Community
Morrisville Community
North Regional
Northeast Regional
Southeast Regional
Southgate Community
Zebulon Community
primary_isbn
9780593317525
publishDate
2024
publisher
Pantheon Books
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Abarca, Lydia
African American ballerinas -- Biography
Ballet -- United States -- History
Dance Theatre of Harlem -- History
McKinney-Griffith, Gayle
Rohan, Sheila
Sells, Marcia Lynn
Shelton, Karlya
title_display
The swans of Harlem : five Black ballerinas, fifty years of sisterhood, and the reclamation of their groundbreaking history
title_full
The swans of Harlem : five Black ballerinas, fifty years of sisterhood, and the reclamation of their groundbreaking history / Karen Valby
title_short
The swans of Harlem
title_sub
five Black ballerinas, fifty years of sisterhood, and the reclamation of their groundbreaking history
topic_facet
Abarca, Lydia
African American ballerinas
Ballet
History
McKinney-Griffith, Gayle
Rohan, Sheila
Sells, Marcia Lynn
Shelton, Karlya

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record_details

Bib IdFormatFormat CategoryEditionLanguagePublisherPublication DatePhysical DescriptionAbridged
ils:783910BookBooksFirst editionEnglishPantheon Books[2024]1 volume ; 24 cm

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