Happy 36 years of dance Ballethnic!

On January 15, we mark an anniversary rooted in movement, memory, and care.

The origins of this work trace back to Spelman College, under the mentorship of Mozell Spriggs, who turned 100 years old this month. From that lineage, Ballethnic Dance Company was founded in 1990 by Nena Gilreath and Waverly T. Lucas II, inspired by their work at Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded by Arthur Mitchell, as well as their experiences on the Heartstrings Tour and with Atlanta Ballet.

In 2022, I joined the Ballethnic family through a Dance/USA Fellowship to support archival and preservation efforts. That work grew into a partnership with Emory University’s African American Collections at Rose Library, and later expanded internationally.

In 2023 and 2024, we traveled to Bagamoyo, Tanzania, working with Bwagamoyo Africulture to share ballet, memory practices, gardening, and performance during the Africulture Summer Arts Festival.

This anniversary reminds us that archives live in bodies, relationships, and shared labor. Today, January 17th from 4-7, we celebrate the elders, artists, and communities who continue to move this work forward.

Thank you to Ms. Nena, Mr. Waverly, the Ballethnic Community and my students from Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University for helping me preserve the history of Ballethnic Dance Company!

Dr. shady Radical