Chloé Lopes Gomes, the only Black female dancer at the Staatsballett Berlin, has revealed that she was instructed to use white makeup to lighten her skin for "Swan Lake."
What was once common practice has now been done away with by most ballet companies but for Lopes Gomes, 29, it is a reality she had to face for two years. In an interview with The New York Times, she opened up about the humiliation and frustration she felt when one of the ballet mistresses from Staatsballett Berlin insisted she use the body makeup.
"I said to her, I’ll never look white,'" Lopes Gomes said. "She said, well, you will have to put on more than the other girls."
The issue stems back to 2018, when Lopes Gomes first joined the company. She reported it to Johannes Ohman, who was the co-artistic director at the time. He declared she would no longer be required to wear the makeup but that rule fell away when he left in January. Lopes Gomes said she had been singled out from the start, recalling how one of the company’s ballet mistresses would tell her "when you’re not in line or not on the music, we see only you because you’re Black."
Lopes Gomes said she was reluctant to speak up in fear of losing her job but then learned that her contract would not be renewed.
"I really hesitated about this because the ballet world is so small, and I’m scared I will never get another job," she said. "But I want things to change; there are so few Black ballet dancers, and I don’t want small Black girls to think, ballet isn’t for me."
Christiane Theobald, the ballet’s artistic director, said that the accused ballet mistress has been subject to "disciplinary measures." The company further addressed the topic in a statement on its website.
"We're currently performing an investigation – supported by independent experts – into any discriminatory behaviour within our company. Any form of discrimination and racism in our company is unacceptable," the statement read.
"Immediately after the accusations were brought to our attention, we started talks with a variety of organisations such as Themis, a trust centre for victims of sexual harassment and violence, and Diversity Art Culture, a Berlin-based project management office for diversity development, the anti-discrimination officer of a Berlin-based theatre and the Senate Department for Culture. On top, mandatory workshops and seminars will be held for all Staatsballett employees."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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