AN EXHIBITION & ARCHIVE

WHO GETS TO BE THE PRINCE?

PRINCE NOIR IS A PHOTOGRAPHIC AND ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE OF MALE BLACK AND BROWN BALLET DANCERS — PORTRAITS AND TESTIMONY FROM ARTISTS REDEFINING WHO GETS TO EMBODY GRACE, DISCIPLINE AND ROYALTY ON STAGE.

LOCATION

KENTE ROYAL GALLERY, HARLEM NY
ON VIEW

SEPTEMBER 17 – OCTOBER 1, 2026
OPENING CELEBRATION

SEPTEMBER 17

PHOTOGRAPHY

CARL CHISOLM
ART DIRECTION

CONNIE MAKITA

THE PROJECT

BALLET HAS ALWAYS CELEBRATED THE PRINCE. HISTORY JUST NEVER EXPECTED THE PRINCE TO LOOK LIKE THIS.

THIS PROJECT BEGAN WITH A QUESTION AND TURNED INTO TWO YEARS OF PORTRAIT SESSIONS AND RECORDED CONVERSATIONS WITH TEN DANCERS WHOSE STORIES RARELY MAKE IT INTO BALLET'S VISUAL HISTORY.

WE DIDN'T ASK THEM TO RECREATE FAMILIAR CHOREOGRAPHY. WE ASKED THEM TO MOVE FREELY, AND TO TALK — ABOUT THE CHILDHOODS THAT LED THEM HERE, THE ROOMS WHERE THEY WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO LOOKED LIKE THEM, AND WHAT IT COSTS TO KEEP TRAINING IN A BODY THE INDUSTRY KEEPS TELLING YOU IS WRONG.

WHAT CAME BACK WASN'T TEN SEPARATE STORIES. IT WAS ONE CONTINUOUS ARGUMENT: THAT GRACE, DISCIPLINE, AND ROYALTY WERE NEVER THE PROPERTY OF ONE IMAGE, ONE BODY, OR ONE TRADITION TO BEGIN WITH.

CONNIE MAKITA & CARL CHISOLM — PRINCE NOIR

THE DANCERS

AMIR BALDWIN

THE POSSIBILITY
RAISED IN TRENTON, NJ, AMIR FOUND BALLET ALMOST BY ACCIDENT IN COLLEGE AND WENT ON TO DANCE WITH BALLET HISPANICO.
"I'M STILL LIVING THE DREAM. NO ONE PUT THAT MUCH FAITH IN ME — SO I HAD TO PUT IT IN MYSELF."
CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL (CHRIS)

THE AFFIRMATION
RAISED IN EAST HARLEM, CHRIS DANCED WITH DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM AND NOW TEACHES AT THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET.
"YOU ARE A STAR. YOU ARE A YOUNG PRINCE."
DARION TURNER

THE PURPOSE
BORN IN CLAYTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, DARION FOUND IN BALLET THE STEADINESS HIS EARLY LIFE DIDN'T OFFER.
"DANCE GAVE ME A PURPOSE. NOTHING WAS SITTING WITH ME UNTIL I FOUND DANCE."
DYLAN SANTOS

THE DREAM
BORN IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, DYLAN DANCED WITH DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM AND WENT ON TO PERFORM IN BROADWAY'S THE LION KING.
"I FELT LIKE EVERYONE KEPT SAYING IT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. ALL I WANTED WAS TO BE A PRINCE."
ELIAS RE

THE PERSISTENCE
BORN IN MILAN, ITALY, AND RAISED PARTLY IN THE U.S., ELIAS TRAINED WITH CLEVELAND BALLET BEFORE FINDING HIS WAY TO HARLEM.
"THERE WERE SO MANY TIMES I FELT OVERLOOKED. IT IGNITED THIS PART OF ME TO JUST KEEP GRINDING."
LEONARDO BRITO (LEO)

THE TRANSFORMATION
BORN IN RIO DE JANEIRO, LEO TRAINED ON SCHOLARSHIP AT MIAMI CITY BALLET BEFORE MOVING TO NEW YORK IN 2016.
"IT FELT SO BIG FOR ME, COMING FROM RIO AND DOING MY OWN THING. IT FELT SO FREEING." — ON THE SCHOLARSHIP THAT TOOK HIM FROM RIO TO MIAMI CITY BALLET.
LUCAS CASTRO

THE BELONGING
BORN IN RIO DE JANEIRO, LUCAS MOVED TO THE U.S. AND FOUND A TRUE CREATIVE HOME DANCING WITH DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM.
"AT DTH [DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM], WE ONLY HAVE BLACK PRINCES AND PRINCESSES." NOT AN EXCEPTION. A BASELINE.
MALCOLM JONES

THE VISIBILITY
RAISED IN NEPTUNE, NJ, MALCOLM KEPT HIS DANCE LIFE PRIVATE FOR YEARS BEFORE STEPPING FULLY INTO IT.
"I HAD THIS SECRET LIFE FOR A VERY LONG TIME." NOW, SIMPLY, "THE DANCER."
MICAH BULLARD

THE REPRESENTATION
RAISED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, MICAH FOUND HIS WAY TO BALLET THROUGH HIS SISTER AND NOW DANCES WITH DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM.
"I SAW MICAH DANCE, AND HE WAS DOING BALLET — SO I CAN DO IT TOO."
TAYLOR STANLEY

THE EXPANSION
RAISED IN WESTCHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, TAYLOR BECAME A PRINCIPAL DANCER AT NEW YORK CITY BALLET.
“YOU CAN'T PREVENT A YOUNG ASPIRING DANCER FROM ACCESSING A DREAM AND PUTTING THEM IN A BOX."