Mel Alexander Tomlinson (born January 3, 1954) is an American dancer and choreographer. At the time of his debut with the New York City Ballet in 1981, he was the only African-American dancer in the company. Ballet choreographer Agnes de Mille referred to Tomlinson as "the most exciting black dancer in America." … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: African-American Ballet Dancers
Wednesday Open Thread
Wednesday Open Thread: Black Music Composers
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 1875 – 1 September 1912) was an English composer and conductor who was mixed-race; his father was a Sierra Leone Creole physician. Coleridge-Taylor achieved such success that he was referred to by white New York musicians as the "African Mahler" at the time when he had three tours of the United States in the early 1900s. He was particularly … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: Black Music Composers
Wednesday Open Thread: African-American Bodybuilders and Powerlifters
Kenneth "Flex" Wheeler (born August 23, 1965) is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. He won the Arnold Classic then-record four times and was once described by Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of the greatest bodybuilders he had ever seen. Ronnie Coleman said that Wheeler was the best bodybuilder he competed against. … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: African-American Bodybuilders and Powerlifters
Wednesday Open Thread: Black Romance Authors
Francis Ray (July 20, 1944 – July 3, 2013) was a New York Times and USA Today bestselling African-American writer of romance novels. Her literary fiction series – Taggart and Falcon, the Invincible Women, Grayson Family of New Mexico, and Grayson Friends – consistently made bestseller's lists. She lived in Dallas, Texas. … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: Black Romance Authors
Wednesday Open Thread: More African-Americans in Aviation
Ida Van Smith (1917 – May 13, 2003) was an African-American pilot and flight instructor born in 1917 in Lumberton, North Carolina and died in that very town on May 13, 2003. Smith was the youngest of three children and grew up in a loving and sheltered environment. Her mother was African-American and her father was of mixed ethnicity. Her family was very religious and … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: More African-Americans in Aviation