Is Ballet Using The Dreaded Old ‘Paper-Bag Test’ On Its Black Stars?

“Janet Collins, Raven Wilkinson, Debra Austin, Nora Kimball, Misty Copeland, Francesca Hayward. All of these successful black ballet dancers have something in common: they skew toward the fairer end of the sepia spectrum. Onstage, the duskiness of their complexions can be all but washed out, bleached by the lights. From the audience, they could present as a white girl back from a beachside vacation, or be perceived as Latina. This observation is in no way meant to challenge these women’s ‘blackness,’ or their talent. It’s to highlight a long-overlooked fact.”