Written by Mayra Vazquez. "Women + Girls Leading the Way" is a monthly series where we look at the women and girls throughout history who have paved the way for all of us today!
Evelyn Cisneros had no idea that when she started ballet at the age of eight she would later become the first Hispanic prima ballerina in the United States. In fact, in the beginning, she did not want to dance at all due to her extreme shyness. The idea of performing in front of a crowd was very distressing for her, but her mother was adamant about having her work through her shyness.
With that in mind, her mother asked Evelyn to try ballet for at least a year and if she still didn't want to dance after that, she could give it up. Evelyn agreed to the deal and it changed her life. Not only did this help Evelyn overcome most of her shyness, but she worked hard and became one of the best dancers in her class.
Evelyn stuck with ballet for many years and loved every minute of it. Of course, it wasn't always pleasant. Evelyn was often the only person of color in the room which sometimes made her feel isolated. She also was often told to paint her neck, chest, arms, and face with makeup in order to lighten her naturally darker skin.
Despite the hurdles and the racism that she endured in her career, she did not allow any of it to stop her or to change her. Evelyn has always been proud of her heritage and once stated, "I always felt my Mexican heritage gave me a richer well to draw from, not the opposite." She used her status as the first Hispanic prima ballerina as an opportunity to be a role model and proclaims, "I carried that through my whole life."
Evelyn Cisneros is now retired from dancing but still works in the field. In September 2020, she was given the director position of the Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy, where she continues to leave her mark in history. She's incredibly talented and inspirational for all of us!
Check out this link to see Evelyn Cisneros in action!
"That is the one thing I hope people go away with: the joy I have tried to share with the audience..."
-Evelyn Cisneros-
Works Cited
- https://biography.jrank.org/pages/3575/Cisneros-Evelyn-1959-Ballerina-Began-Dancing-Overcome-Shyness.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Cisneros
- https://balletblack.co.uk/the-huffington-post-5th-august-2014/
Evelyn developed confidence through dance, what has helped you build confidence? Let us know in the comments below.
