Ballethnic Nutcrackers at Spelman Alumni Event 11.1.2025

Friendship Baptist Church | November 1, 2025

Last week, I had the pleasure of representing Ballethnic Dance Company at the Spelman Alumni Event hosted at Friendship Baptist Church. As the company archivist, my work often centers on preserving and interpreting the company’s 35-year history—but days like this remind me that archival labor is not only about records; it’s about relationships, renewal, and return.

A Celebration of Legacy

This gathering served as a platform to celebrate and promote the upcoming 35th Anniversary of Ballethnic’s Urban Nutcracker—a production that has become a cultural cornerstone in Atlanta and a testament to the vision of Ms. Nena Gilreath and Mr. Waverly T. Lucas II. Their partnership began at Spelman College, where under the mentorship of Ms. Mozell J. Spriggs, they began to imagine a professional company that could bridge classical ballet with African and urban dance traditions.

Ms. Spriggs’ legacy runs deep: in 1966, she organized the Children’s Dance Extension Program for ages 4 through 18 as part of Spelman’s Physical Education Department. Two years later, she co-founded the Atlanta University Center Dance Theater, creating a performance hub that connected AUC students through shared artistry and training . This lineage—the institutional groundwork laid by educators like Spriggs—made Ballethnic possible.

A Radical Tradition: Hand-Painted Nutcrackers

A particularly meaningful part of this history is found in the artistry of Ms. Gilreath’s own family. Ms. Nena’s mother used to hand-paint nutcrackers, giving color, life, and identity to figures that, for much of history, existed only in white. This act of care and creativity was both personal and political—a quiet resistance to invisibility and exclusion in the world of ballet and holiday imagery.

Today, Ms. Nena continues this tradition, painting nutcrackers herself for Ballethnic’s productions. While stores now sell a wide range of Black and brown nutcrackers, this practice reminds us of a time when such representation did not exist. Each painted nutcracker becomes an archive in itself—evidence of artistry, cultural affirmation, and intergenerational labor. It is a reminder that even the smallest gestures can carry revolutionary significance.

The Spirit of Spelman

The atmosphere at Friendship Baptist Church was filled with pride and tradition. Ms. Spelman 2025, Taylor Mills, greeted attendees with poise and warmth, while current students offered a moving on-stage history of Spelman College. Their performance reminded me how dance, education, and sisterhood remain central to Spelman’s mission—and how the arts continue to tell the story of its evolution.

As an archivist, I am often called upon not just for historical insight but also for my creative, administrative, and organizational skills—reminding me that archival practice, like dance, is both art and discipline. While traditional archival history emphasizes professionalization and preservation, events like this demonstrate how archives live through community engagement and embodied memory.

Unexpected Gifts and Archival Continuity

One of the day’s most touching moments came when Ms. Frances Houston approached me and gifted four Spelman College yearbooks from 1967 to 1970, which she had inherited from her sister-in-law. I was both thrilled and deeply moved by this act of stewardship. I assured her that I would personally deliver the yearbooks to Ms. Holly Smith, Spelman College Archivist, so they can rejoin the College’s archival collection where they belong. Moments like these remind me that archival work thrives on trust and community generosity—each contribution ensuring that our collective memory continues to expand and evolve.

Honoring the Archive

This event will be documented as part of The Radical Archive Project’s (T.R.A.P.) Ballethnic Collection, which continues to grow as a repository for photographs, programs, and oral histories that trace the company’s journey from its Spelman beginnings to its present influence.

For those interested in exploring this history further, please visit the T.R.A.P. Archives to view a timeline of Spelman’s Dance Program (1931–2007) and additional materials from the event.