Christian Spuck, a choreographer of narrative ballets, has taken the helm at the Staatsballett Berlin after years of strife for the troupe. Can he turn it around?
Black Ballerina, Playing a Swan, Says She Was Told to Color Her Skin
The dancer with the Staatsballett Berlin says being directed to use white makeup to perform in “Swan Lake” was one of the racially insensitive incidents she has faced.
The Staatsballett Berlin rehearsing “Swan Lake” in February. Chloé Lopes Gomes, in the right foreground, has said that she was told to apply white makeup before the rehearsal.Credit.via Staatsballett Berlin
Dec. 11, 2020
Chloé Lopes Gomes had done her hair and makeup and fixed the feathered swan headdress in place before the rehearsal in February. Then, she later recounted, she repeatedly dipped a wet sponge into a pot of white pancake makeup, applying it carefully to her face, neck and upper body.