Chyrstyn Fentroy facts for kids

Chyrstyn Mariah Fentroy is a talented American ballet dancer. She is a main dancer, called a principal, with the Boston Ballet. Before that, she was also a principal dancer at Dance Theatre of Harlem. When Chyrstyn joined the Boston Ballet in 2017, she was the first African-American female dancer to join the company in ten years!

Growing Up and Learning to Dance

Chyrstyn Fentroy grew up in Los Angeles, California. Both of her parents were professional dancers. Her dad coached a dance team, teaching hip-hop and jazz. Her mom, Ruth Fentroy, trained in classical ballet. Chyrstyn started learning ballet from her mom at the Peninsula School of Performance Arts in Palos Verdes, California.

When Chyrstyn was 17, she moved to New York City. She trained at the Joffrey Ballet on a special scholarship. While she was a student, she got to travel and perform with the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group.

During her time at Joffrey Ballet, Chyrstyn also competed in big dance events. She was in the Youth America Grand Prix finals in 2010. She also competed in the Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition in 2011.

Her Amazing Dance Career

After finishing her training at the Joffrey Ballet, Chyrstyn joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem. This dance company was started for Black dancers during the civil rights movement. She later became a principal dancer there, which means she was one of the main performers.

For five years, Chyrstyn performed with the company in many countries. She danced in Austria, Honduras, Italy, Israel, and Turkey. She also had lead roles in many famous ballets. Some of these included The Lark Ascending, Agon, and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.

Chyrstyn also received special recognition for her talent. In January 2015, she was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. She was named one of "25 to Watch" – a list of rising dance stars. The next year, she won the Princess Grace Honoraria Award in Dance. In 2018, WBUR recognized her as one of their "Artery 25." This award celebrates important artists of color in the Boston area.

Joining the Boston Ballet

Chyrstyn wanted more chances to grow as a dancer. So, in 2017, she joined the Boston Ballet. She was the first African-American female dancer to join the company in a decade.

When she first joined, she faced challenges. In one performance, she had to hide her natural hair. This experience made her want to speak up for change in the ballet world. She started working to make ballet more welcoming for everyone.

She quickly moved up in the Boston Ballet. She became a second soloist in 2018 and a soloist in 2019. Many choreographers and critics have praised her performances.

Speaking Up for Change

Chyrstyn works with the Boston Ballet to celebrate dancers of color. She also helps young dancers of color who want to become professionals. For example, she has hosted special mentorship programs. These programs are in partnership with The International Association of Blacks in Dance.

Chyrstyn has also written articles for dance blogs and magazines. In 2018, she wrote for Jai-Dee Dancewear's blog. She shared her experiences as a Black ballet dancer. In 2020, she wrote an article for Pointe magazine. It was called "My Experience as a Black Ballerina in a World of Implicit Bias." In it, she talked about how ballet has a history of not being fair to people of different backgrounds. She wants to help make the ballet world more fair and open for all dancers.