Bravo! Thank you Virginia Johnson!❤

Virginia Johnson (born 1950) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and journalist. She currently serves as the artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem and is a founding member and former principal dancer of the company. From 2000 to 2009 she was the editor-in-chief of Pointe. Early life Johnson was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She began training in classical ballet at the age of three under Therrell Smith, a friend of her mother's who had trained under Mathilde Kschessinska. When she was thirteen years old she was accepted as a scholarship student at The Washington School of Ballet, where she trained under Mary Day and was the only African-American student. She graduated from the school in 1968. Career Johnson moved to New York City and enrolled as a dance major at New York University. While a student there, she took a class with Arthur Mitchell and was invited to help start a ballet company with him. She became a founding member of Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969 and was promoted to the rank of principal dancer. She danced lead roles in Agon, A Streetcar Named Desire, Creole Giselle, Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brillante, Fall River Legend, Swan Lake, Les Biches, and Glen Tetley's Voluntaries. After a twenty-eight year career with the company, Johnson retired and enrolled as a communications student at Fordham University. She was later hired as the inaugural editor-in-chief of Pointe Magazine and served in that capacity from 2000 until she left in 2009 to become the artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem. Source Wikiedia

A beautiful soul of a woman who lit up stages around the world. Captivating audiences in performance after great performance. A true trailblazer and icon of notable great worth. Virginia - very special and brilliant lady queen of dance, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all you have done in this life fullfilling your destiny of making ballet a black accomplishment, smashing the evil odds presented against you by the blind and stupid of this world who continue to remain that way and no doubt will that die...for sure, because they refuse to accept the truth about The Most High given excellence of His extraordinary black people. You being one of the many very great ones. May you continue to shine the light, brightening the way for future young black Kings and Queens like yourself. Blessings be upon you...always.

Along with Alvin Ailey very influential in black dance. Happy retirement!

Wow, what a woman!! Living Black History🙌🏾 You can tell she’s a dancer just by the way she carries herself like the queen that she is👑✨

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served as the company's music director from 1981 to 1992. The DTH is renowned for being both "the first Black classical ballet company", and "the first major ballet company to prioritize Black dancers". Source Wikipedia

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

I know what needs to be done and I don't have the money to pull it off. Telling you only leaves YOU to corrupt it and make ballet people into "Seventeen". I just know that's who you are and you don't seem to want to ween yourselves of the company you keep.