Before Misty Copeland was the first Black woman appointed as Principal into the American Ballet Theater, Lavinia Williams was a part of the American Negro Ballet, focusing on classical ballet, folk, modern, and Caribbean dance, which she mastered and taught in several Caribbean countries.

Born in Philadelphia, Lavinia began dance at the age of 3.  Her family relocated to Portsmouth, VA, in 1920, where she studied ballet throughout high school. Lavinia moved to New York after she won a scholarship to the Art Students’ League in 1935.

In order to afford to buy her art supplies, Lavinia became a dance teacher at the Urban League in Brooklyn. One of the models at the school was a dancer with Eugene Von Grona’s American Negro Ballet. Lavinia attended rehearsals to sketch the dancers and shortly after Van Grona invited her to audition, accepting her into the company. Williams danced with the American Negro Ballet for three years in the late 1930s. The company disbanded in 1940, she danced for one season with Agnes de Mille’s American Ballet Theatre, appearing in the debut of de Mille’s “Obeah!” (“Black Ritual”).

Legendary American dancer and choreographer, Katherine Dunham, saw Lavinia perform with the and asked her to join the Dunham company, where Williams remained from 1940 through 1945 as a dancer and instructor. In her work with the Dunham company, Lavinia discovered an interest in Caribbean dance that she nurtured throughout her life, dancing numerous solos such as “Rites de Passage” and “Bolero,” as well as the broadway musical “Cabin in the Sky” (1940) and films such as “Stormy Weather” (1943).

Considered a leader in teaching Haitian dance. Lavinia founded the Haitian Institute of Folklore and Classic Dance in 1954.

Lavinia met her first husband, Russian-born scientist Léon Theremin, after he created a floor that changed pitch and tone when danced upon. Finding no success from ballet schools around New York with a woman who could “play” it, Leon met Lavinia who not only could work the harmonized floor, but also challenged him intellectually. They married shortly after.

Lavinia Williams : July 2, 1916 – July 19, 1989

Comments

comments