Houston — When Lauren Anderson was promoted to principal dancer with the Houston Ballet in 1990, she made history as one of the first black women to become a principal in a major American ballet company.
“My goal was just to get into the company,” Anderson, 57, said in a recent interview.
But she garnered admiration for dancing lead in ballets like “Cleopatra.”under review 2000’s “Cleopatra”, Critic Clive Burns called her a “great, stunning Lauren Anderson” and a “real star”. ( snake headband The one she wore is in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. ) Now Anderson is playing a different kind of lead role. As the subject of the new show, “Plum Shuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson’ last night, stage The show runs through November 13th in theaters here.
written by Deborah Deep MoutonHouston’s first black poet laureate “Plum Sugar” — the title is the riff of the Sugar Plum Fairy in one of her signature roles, “The Nutcracker” — ensemble theater, houston ballet and Houston Ballet Academy. Describing Anderson’s rise and career in her ballet, the show also examines her personal life, including her experiences of abuse and her struggles with alcoholism.
“I had three paths in mind when working on this piece,” Mouton said in an interview. “Who is she as an artist, as a woman, as an addict? And how do these things help us understand Lauren Anderson, the person, more completely and completely?”
With a repertoire of works by George Balanchine and Kenneth Macmillan, Anderson was a pioneer in a field still struggling with diversity. American Ballet Theater’s Misty Copeland is one of the few black women to follow her as a principal dancer in a major company. credited her as an inspirationAnderson believes Copeland’s stardom is a welcome sign of the change the industry needs.
“I think young people got it when it came to changing things that needed to be changed,” she said.
After Houston native Anderson retired from dancing in 2006 (and was stopped in 2009 for speeding in Houston after her addiction became public), she embarked on a new professional path. rice field. She is an Associate in Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement Program where she works as a director and has a role in developing the next generation of dancers.
In a recent conversation at Houston Ballet, Anderson spoke about “Plum Shuga,” a ballet pioneer who spoke outspokenly about addiction. Below is an edited excerpt of the conversation.
Let’s go back to 1990. What was your initial reaction to your promotion?
So let’s get this right. Back in 1990, I didn’t know my promotion was historic. I thought my promotion was a miracle. I never thought I would be the head of the company. I thought it would be impossible. And lo and behold, it happened. I knew I was the first black person to become a principal dancer. But I wasn’t thinking of making history. I just thought, “I’ve reached the summit.” now i know Throughout my career, I have understood the importance of it.
You said interview“My Blackness never bothered me. It bothered other people.” Houston’s reaction?
I have been here for 57 years. The City of Houston has seen my face on stage since 1972, when I was in the first Nutcracker for the Houston Ballet. But when we did the first Sugarplum Fairy in 1983, when we turned to the audience, they didn’t see this and let out a huge gasp. And I got a standing ovation at the end of the show. From that moment on, the city of Houston opened its arms and gave me a big hug.
However, the staff had to deal with some things. I know her FBI file for the Houston Ballet must be a mile taller than him, because the FBI opens the file every time I get hate mail or something like that.
You’re recognized as a groundbreaking dancer when it comes to race, but you’re also challenging the standards of visibility for dark-skinned Black women in the arts. How do you tackle racism and colorism in your industry? Or just below?
It didn’t matter here at Houston Ballet. It was a problem elsewhere. Because here all colors are brown. But there have certainly been longstanding problems. Beige ballerinas are allowed to do more than dark-skinned ballerinas.
I see the way little girls look at me, and I will never forget the way little brown girls look at me.
How did you come to the decision to allow someone else to tell your life story on stage?
Deborah Mouton is someone I really admire, so when she came to me and said she wanted to write an article about my life, I said, “Are you sure?”
What was the process like?
You could really piece the pieces together, but she said, “No, I want it on your terms.”
She took my words and made them sound like cursive. She makes me sound so good. Some of it hurts when she reads or listens to it. I can relive, contemplate, and get a feel for it all. In my words yes.
As Deborah wrote, I changed the floor to linoleum instead of wood. Or the walls were purple, not green. We drove through a few places we talked about around Houston.
What were some of those places?
When I first walked through the door in 1972, we went to where the Houston Ballet used to be. It’s now a drive-thru Starbucks. We passed Lamar High School. I went to the house where I was born. I passed by my father’s house.
You’ve been candid about your struggle with addiction. Did you feel any hesitation about having that period of your life displayed in this way?
How can you leave it out if you’re going to tell your own story? Best in the sense that I was full and after putting some trust in Deborah I was able to empty myself One day I emptied so well I stopped seeing a therapist. But when I told my therapist about the decision, she said, “We’re going to divorce Honey, so it’s okay.”
Are there aspects of your performance that wow audiences?
All. Some of you may know these aspects, but no one knows what I was thinking or feeling. When I first walked into a dance studio, I didn’t let people know what I was really thinking and feeling. It feels like it goes on forever.
you were cited as an inspiration Misty Copeland, fellow Houstonian Solange Knowles, and other black artists. Do you feel surprised or proud to inspire so many black women?
I’m absolutely full when someone says Lauren Anderson inspired them.
I remember talking to Tina Knowles at an event many years ago.i couldn’t believe it when i saw it solange post [crediting Anderson as an inspiration]The last time we saw Solange at school with her daughter-in-law, she was a child!
How has ballet changed since you retired, and do those changes improve conditions for dancers in marginalized communities?
Young people are louder than us. Oh, this generation feels their feelings, honey, and they’ll let you know how they feel!
What’s keeping you in Houston?
my roots are deep Houston Ballet, my family is here. My parents are here and they are getting older and I want to be with them as much as possible.
How do you plan to continue sharing your own story after your performance is over?
The thing about being in recovery is that you recover by giving it away. How can I maintain my performance? How can I continue ballet? By sharing it with the next generation.