‘I truly privation much radical that look similar maine connected the stage,’ says dancer LeeAnanca Moore

LeeAnanca Moore is making definite diverseness is beforehand and halfway during this year's run.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Ballet’s Nutcracker volition deed stages crossed the River City successful little than 3 weeks.

This year, the show’s pb performer volition beryllium portion of history.

LeeAnanca Moore volition beryllium the archetypal Black pistillate to play the pb successful the Florida Ballet’s mentation of The Nutcracker successful astatine slightest a decade. Moore is making definite diverseness is beforehand and halfway during this year’s run.

“Especially erstwhile you’re connected the signifier and similar the lights are successful your look and you conscionable perceive the crowd, it’s similar freeing almost,” Moore said.

Moore is 16 and has performed successful astir 120 creation productions. She started dancing erstwhile she was conscionable 10 years old.

She said practice is 1 of the galore things that fuels her passionateness to deed the stage.

“I saw each the dancers who benignant of looked similar maine and each the dancers that didn’t. And I truly privation much radical that look similar maine connected the stage, truthful it truly benignant of pushed maine to get much into creation and my craft,” said Moore.

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Standing connected the shoulders of those who paved the mode -- Moore said dance’s past of segregation and racism volition marque her relation impactful connected and disconnected the stage.

“One of my favourite dancers, similar 1 of the archetypal ballerinas was Janet Collins. She was fixed roles but was told that she couldn’t spell connected signifier due to the fact that of segregation and racism. They told her the lone mode they could was if she did achromatic face. So, it’s precise important for maine to look however I am, deterioration my earthy hair, and accidental that you tin inactive bash it with my hair, my tegument color, etc,” said Moore.

Pushing diverseness beforehand and halfway successful hopes that different women of colour proceed to defy the odds.

Moore and the unit person been practicing play since aboriginal September to hole for this year’s show.

It volition tally for 2 weekends successful December, the 10th - 12th and 17th - 19th.

You tin find much accusation astir wherever and however to acquisition tickets: https://floridaballet.org/

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