Chloé Lopes Gomes (born c. 1991) is a French ballet dancer known for being the first biracial female dancer from subsaharan African descent in the Staatsballett Berlin.[1][2]
Chloé Lopes Gomes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nice, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Awards | BBC 100 Women (2021) |
| Career | |
| Current group | Staatsballett Berlin |
Personal life edit
Lopes Gomes was born in Nice, France.[3] Her father is from Cape Verde, and her mother is French and Algerian. She is mixed-race. [4]
Career edit
Lopes Gomes first took dance lessons at the Conservatoire de Nice.[3] She later trained at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille then the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Russia.[5][6] She has performed with Opéra de Nice, France, the New English Ballet Theater, and Béjart Ballet in Lausanne, Switzerland.[6][7]
Lopes Gomes joined the Staatsballett Berlin in 2018, and became their first Black ballet dancer.[2] In 2020, Lopes Gomes' contract was not renewed and she left the Staatsballett Berlin. Lopes Gomes later alleged she was discriminated against because of her race and directed to wear whitening make-up to perform while at Staatsballett Berlin.[2] Staatsballett Berlin conducted an investigation into the claims, later giving out €16,000 to Lopes Gomes and renewed her contract in an out-of-court settlement.[7][8]
References edit
- ^ "Black ballet dancers 'proud' of Chloé Lopes Gomes after racism claims". BBC News. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b c Sulcas, Roslyn (2020-12-11). "Black Ballerina, Playing a Swan, Says She Was Told to Color Her Skin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b "Now is the time". Vogue Italia (in Italian). 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Black dancer calls for change in 'closed and elitist' world of ballet". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Chloe Lopes Gomes". www.staatsballett-berlin.de. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b "Berlin: Staatsballett's first black female dancer accuses it of racism". the Guardian. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b "Black ballet dancer Lopes Gomes wins Berlin racism case". BBC News. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ Sulcas, Roslyn (2021-04-22). "Staatsballett Berlin and Dancer Reach Settlement Over Bias Allegations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.