Olivia Boisson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olivia Boisson
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Born | |
Education | School of American Ballet |
Occupation | Ballet dancer |
Years active | 2012–present |
Current group | New York City Ballet |
Olivia Boisson is an amazing American ballet dancer. In 2013, she joined the New York City Ballet. She became the first black dancer to join the company in ten years!
Contents
Olivia's Early Life and Training
Olivia Boisson was born in Queens, New York. Her parents came from Haiti. She started dancing when she was just six years old. She trained at The Ballet Arts School in Forest Hills, Queens.
Learning Classical Ballet
In 2000, Olivia studied classical ballet at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. This is a famous school for ballet. Later, in 2004, she became a full-time student. She went to the School of American Ballet. She was the only African-American dancer in her class that year.
Joining the New York City Ballet
Olivia received a special award in 2012. It was called the Mae L. Wien Award. That same year, she joined the New York City Ballet as an apprentice. An apprentice is like a trainee. In December 2013, she officially became a member of the company. She joined the corps de ballet, which means she became part of the main group of dancers. This was a big moment! She was the first black dancer to join the company in a whole decade.
Amazing Performances and Roles
Olivia has danced in many famous ballets. She performs with the New York City Ballet. She has taken on many exciting roles.
Dancing in Famous Ballets
Olivia has performed in ballets by George Balanchine. These include the Prayer in Coppélia. She also danced as Coffee in The Nutcracker. Other roles were in Chaconne and The Four Temperaments.
She also danced as a princess in Peter Martins' Swan Lake. She was also Cellos in Jerome Robbins' Fanfare. As part of the corps de ballet, she was in the first cast of JR's Les Bosquets.
Beyond the Stage
Olivia Boisson has also been part of special projects. These projects celebrate dance and art.
Honoring Nelson Mandela
In 2018, Olivia was part of a special project. It was called 100 FISTS. This project honored Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday. It was a photography series. It showed black dancers in New York City.
Modeling for Puma
That same year, Olivia and other dancers from the New York City Ballet modeled for Puma. They were part of Puma's Spring/Summer collection. They also joined Puma's Do You campaign.