Ingrid Silva is turning the stereotype of the ballerina body on its head. Here, the 29-year-old-who’s currently in her sixth season in the Dance Theatre of Harlem in Ny City-opens up about to be the only black girl in her ballet class, forging her own profession, and why representation matters.
Growing up in Brazil, I needed to become a swimmer badly. I started ballet relatively late, after i was 8 years old, and I never saw myself dancing [long-term]. When I was 11, I visited one of the biggest dance schools in Brazil, and I met an instructor who sparked more of an appreciation of dance within me. The challenges-and how every single day I accomplished something different-were magnetizing for me personally. Ballet was taking up so much of my life, I decided to just invest in it.
I knew it was an excellent opportunity, but my mother was with me all the way, guiding me through it. I did not wish to go. When you’re young and you get these opportunities, it’s hard to consider as far ahead as the people who are around you. I did see a future personally in dance. However i didn’t imagine it might get to where it is now. I would never imagine that.
When When i first got here, I learned English, I learned the culture. I had to fight much more for that things that I needed, especially becoming an international dancer. Just finding my space in myself as well as in the organization, and growing as a woman so that as an individual, it was such a challenge. I could barely communicate, and so i was lonely. I was sad. I needed to go back for the first few days. However i always had my family’s support.
People see ballerinas like a typical white, skinny, tall girl. It’s so much more than that. After i reached Dance Theatre?of Harlem I felt very welcome.?I felt like I found people who looked like me. I felt like I had been where I belonged. In Brazil, there wasn’t much diversity. I was the only black ballerina in my class! And when I found America, within this company, I was just one more.
Scoot Serio, Quinn B Wharton (@qwharton)
There are certain standards to bop you need to follow-ballet is extremely specific, and you’ve got to appear formal, and you have to appear in a certain style. I believe for me personally, it was more finding a way to look classical and elegant like a ballet dancer, but additionally seem like me. I’m able to still look classical and elegant with my natural hair. I can be classical and stylish with my own body. Which was empowering.
I mentor with an organization called Brown Girls Do Ballet. Within my generation, I didn’t have anyone I could connect with and appear up to. These girls can easily see me dance, or online, or in the sunday paper, plus they see that it is possible. And that is where I think that representation matters. It isn’t even about your body type, or your skin tone. It comes down to finding a partner who inspires you. That’s my goal-to interact with people and help change their lives, even if it’s just via a conversation.
I feel like the ballet career is going to be hard forever. You always want to be a better “you” every day. And also you want to be perfect, which doesn‘t exist. But one thing is essential: to be consistent. And at this time, I’m attempting to remain consistent increasingly more. That’s diverse from being perfect, because we’ll never be perfect.
I remember that just because something fails one day,?doesn’t mean it won’t work the next. And yes, you’ll get frustrated, but personally, I began finding out how to cope with my emotions. When I was young, when things wouldn’t go right in ballet, I’d go home and cry. My father once asked, “Why would you always get so upset? Whether it enables you to so sad, why don’t you quit?” And also the answer was that I could never see myself doing anything else. Becoming an adult now, even when I recieve frustrated, I understand: Hey, this didn’t work today. You can do better tomorrow.
