When Caroline Randall Williams was approached about having her book (a collection of poetry about Shakespeare’s sonnets to a Dark Lady, which grapple with his desire for her) adapted into a ballet, the first thing she asked was if the Nashville Ballet had a principal ballerina who was also a woman of color. Fortunately, for Nashville and the ballet world at large, they did, and are now debuting Attitude: Lucy Negro Redux.
Staring in the principal role, Kayla Rowser will lead the company on a narrative journey that will surely make people leave with a new perspective on Shakespeare, the traditions of ballet, and the uses of poetry and spoken word.
As a black woman myself, seeing Rowser in such a prominent feels like an achievement for little black and brown girls everywhere, who will look to a stage and see a reflection of themselves pirouetting before them.
I heard Williams speak about her collaboration with Grammy award-winning and MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient, Rhiannon Giddens, and Nashville Ballet choreographer, Paul Vasterling. Their conversations were grounded in and concerned with how to achieve representation in predominantly non-colored spaces.
Listening to Williams and Vasterling speak about their processes of creating this ballet, it became clear why they were drawn to the story of Lucy, a black woman, a well-known brothel owner, and a contemporary of Shakespeare. Vasterling explained how the ballet was a story of a woman of “now,” that it portrays the power of women, and especially women of color. Williams added that she hoped that such narratives and collaborations would inspire more creative cross-discipline work, and such increased representation would reflect the diversity that in exists in private places and our own communities.
Having seen only isolated parts of the ballet during an open rehearsal, I can only speak to those parts. That said, if the rest of the performance is half as good as the rehearsed routines I saw, the ballet will be an overwhelming and celebrated success.
Like everyone already involved in this ballet, I am completely captivated by Lucy’s world that Williams captured in her book, and who Vasterling and Giddens helped bring to life. Needless to say, I’m more than ready to step into this world and “walk around in it.”