Cincinnati’s Black ballerina to headline booksigning

By Michiko Clark 

Special to the Herald

The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their 50-year sisterhood, was a legacy erased from history — until now, thanks to author Karen Valby’s new book, “The Swans of Harlem.”

One of the five history-making Black ballerinas was Cincinnati native Marcia Sells.

At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Lydia Abarca was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company — the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), a troupe of women and men who became each other’s chosen family. She was the first Black Company ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, and an Essence cover star; she was cast in “The Wiz” and in a Bob Fosse production on Broadway. She performed in some of ballet’s most iconic works with other trailblazing ballerinas, including the young women who became her closest friends — founding Dance Theatre of Harlem members Gayle McKinney-Griffith and Sheila Rohan, as well as first-generation dancers Karlya Shelton and Marcia Lynn Sells of Cincinnati.

Marcia Lynn Sells began her life in the arts as a ballerina at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and, before that, in the Cincinnati Ballet. In 2021, she became the first chief diversity officer for the Metropolitan Opera. Previously, she held positions in the private and public sectors including Reuters America, the National Basketball Association, Columbia University School of Law, Harvard Law School, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. She is the daughter of the late Mamie Earl Sells, a popular Cincinnati Herald columnist.

These Swans of Harlem performed for the Queen of England, Mick Jagger, and Stevie Wonder, on the same bill as Josephine Baker, at the White House and beyond, but decades later, there was almost no record of their groundbreaking history to be found. Out of a sisterhood that had grown even deeper with the years, these Swans joined forces again — to share their story with the world.

Captivating, rich in vivid detail and character, and steeped in the glamour and grit of professional ballet, “The Swans of Harlem” is a riveting account of five extraordinarily accomplished women, a celebration of both their historic careers and the sustaining, grounding power of female friendship, and a window into the robust history of Black ballet, hidden for too long.

Marcia Sells said, “This book came about when Karlya, Gayle, Lydia, Sheila and I started talking with each other during COVID to connect.  We felt it was important for us to come together and make sure we shared how we were doing in our lives after DTH but also to share our memories about our time in DTH.  We realized that these stories had not been heard and many in the world did not know about the Black Ballerinas and dancers of DTH all before Misty Copeland was even born.

“It was wonderful for me to see Dance Theatre of Harlem right here in Cincinnati when they were first going on tour. DTH appeared at the Corbett Theater and seeing Black dancers on stage, when I was at the time the only Black girl in the College Conservatory of Music preparatory program, was inspiring.  I then knew it was possible for me to become a professional ballet dancer.  I was so glad that my parents Mamie and Charles Sells invited Arthur Mitchell and Lorenzo James, who worked with DTH, to come back to our house for dinner at 134 Mary Lane.  It was there Arthur Mitchell told my parents I had talent.  It helped carry me through my years in Cincinnati Ballet, where I did become a member of the company, before leaving to join DTH in NYC.  

“I think about all of this now as I come back to promote the book and even to celebrate Cincinnati Ballet’s 60th Anniversary on May 9, that it was that chance to see Dance Theatre of Harlem on the stage in Cincinnati led me to this moment with the amazing Black Ballerinas, my fellow Swans of DTH. 

“I also think about a few other DTH dancers who were also Cincinnati Ballet dancers too, including the great Kevin Ward, who lead Dayton Contemporary Dance Company after the great Geraldine Blunden, who also brought a group of young dancers in 1970 to first DTH summer intensive which I also attended. There was also Earl Tucker who was briefly in Cincinnati Ballet and DTH.  There was the great James Truitte, who was a founding member of Alvin Ailey and tenured faculty at CCM in Dance Department, who set many Horton works on Cincinnati Ballet in 1970s and 80s, who also set the great Horton work “Beloved” on Dance Theatre of Harlem in which fellow Swan Gayle McKinney Griffith was the lead with Roman Brooks and they appeared together in Dance in America film in 1977 on PBS.   

“Dance Theatre of Harlem also were part of a major fundraiser for Seven Hills Neighborhood house in 1971 and then performed at Music Hall for sold out performances.  This was at the time that my dad was the Executive Director for Seven Hills.”  

The book is now on sale.

A book signing event is at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Norwood at 7 p.m. on May 10.

Praise for a Most Anticipated Book of the Year from The Washington Post and Cosmopolitan

“Karen Valby’s ‘The Swans of Harlem’ brings to life the stories of Black dancers whose contributions to the world of ballet were silenced, marginalized and otherwise erased. Karen introduces readers to important figures of our past, while inspiring us to courageously chase our dreams. This is the kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!” — Misty Copeland, New York Times-bestselling author of “Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy.”

“These five original Dance Theatre of Harlem ballerinas fell in love with an art form that most of America believed was White and should remain so. Upon Arthur Mitchell’s founding of an all-Black company in 1969, they eagerly took their places at the barre and challenged themselves to the utmost. They triumphed.

“They showed that Blacks could not only excel at classical ballet but could also shape the art in their own vibrant image. Karen Valby weaves their stories together as a choreographer would: the women form an ensemble, yet each gets her own riveting solo. It’s thrilling to watch as they join forces at last and claim their unique place in American ballet’s past, present and future.” — Margo Jefferson, author of “Constructing a Nervous System”

“Until Valby’s utterly absorbing, flawlessly-researched book, I never knew the story of the original Dance Theatre of Harlem ballerinas — and now, I demand that their lives be taught in schools!

“Valby finally sheds light on these towering dance pioneers, all of whom triumphed as dancers in a world that didn’t believe Black people had a place in the classical art form. Vibrant, propulsive, and inspiring, “The Swans of Harlem” is a richly drawn portrait of five courageous women whose contributions have been silenced for too long!” — Tia Williams, New York Times-bestselling author of “Seven Days in June”

“Vibrant…A captivating corrective to an often-whitewashed history.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A skilled storyteller with an eye for significant details and thematic complexity…[A] dynamic, tumultuous and inspiring journey of the five central ballerinas, the book is deeply researched and full of heart. A rich, detailed, and complex history of Harlem’s first prima ballerinas.” — Kirkus

“There is joy in the way the women discuss their decades-long friendships and trailblazing performances in this book. Valby gives each dancer space for their stories to naturally flow, writing them as fully realized individuals with their own hopes and dreams…Heartwarming.” — Library Journal

“For those who love ‘Hidden Figures’ and are interested in dance and culture…Captivating, rich in vivid detail and character, and steeped in the glamor and grit of professional ballet, ‘The Swans of Harlem’ is a riveting account of five extraordinarily accomplished women, a celebration of their historic careers and a window into the robust history of Black ballet, hidden for too long.” — Texas Lifestyle Magazine