Olivia Boisson facts for kids

Olivia Boisson is a talented American ballet dancer. She is known for her amazing performances. In 2013, she joined the New York City Ballet. She was the first Black dancer to join the company in ten years.

Olivia Boisson's Journey

Early Life and Training

Olivia Boisson was born in Queens, New York. Her parents came from Haiti. She started dancing when she was six years old. She trained at The Ballet Arts School of Forest Hills. This school is in Forest Hills, Queens.

In 2000, Olivia studied classical ballet. She learned at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. By 2004, she became a full-time student. She attended the School of American Ballet. She was the only African-American dancer in her class that year.

Joining New York City Ballet

Olivia received the Mae L. Wien Award in 2012. This award is very special for young dancers. In the same year, she joined the New York City Ballet. She started as an apprentice.

In December 2013, she became a full member. She joined the company's corps de ballet. This means she became a regular dancer in the group. She was the first Black dancer to join the company in a decade.

Famous Ballet Roles

Olivia has danced many important roles. She performs in ballets by George Balanchine. These include Prayer in Coppélia. She also danced Coffee in The Nutcracker. Other roles were in Chaconne and The Four Temperaments.

She also performed as a princess. This was in Peter Martins' Swan Lake. She danced as Cellos in Jerome Robbins' Fanfare. Olivia was also in the first cast of Les Bosquets. This ballet was created by the artist JR.

Special Projects and Campaigns

In 2018, Olivia was part of a special project. It was called 100 FISTS. This was a photography series. It featured Black dancers in New York City. The project honored Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday. Melika Dez and Jeremy McQueen created it.

That same year, Olivia also modeled for Puma. She was part of their Spring/Summer collection. She also joined their Do You campaign.