Nena Gilreath and Waverly T. Lucas don’t think of themselves as heroes but thousands of Atlantans do.
For 33 years, the married couple has led the professional ensemble Ballethnic Dance Company, trained dancers in their school, and connected with Atlanta’s African American community in multiple ways. In so doing, they have proved that ballet is a relatable art form for and by people of all ethnicities.
Each week, more than 100 students, from toddlers to adults, attend classes at the couple’s school in East Point. Ballet, tap, modern dance, hip-hop and African drumming are all offered. But Gilreath says they do more than teach dance. For instance, they give nutrition workshops for both students and parents, engage with local schools, and create a fall festival for the community each October.
“We also do lots of mentoring, helping students to realize their creativity and also keep up with their schoolwork,” she says. “It’s a balance.”
She recently had a young man write and sign a contract in which he committed “to keep up his grades and be respectful.”
This time of year, more than 70 performers commit to attending rehearsals of Ballethnic’s annual Urban Nutcracker at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. Among the dancers will be a group of men and women from the HJC Bowden Senior Multipurpose facility, another community connection.
The couple, now in their fifties, met in New York in the 1980s while dancing with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a Black ballet company founded by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook.
Moving South, they danced briefly with Atlanta Ballet, but soon decided that their mission, inspired by Mitchell, was to start their own professional ballet company. They launched Ballethnic Dance Company in 1990.
