Today we present the second of two episodes featuring Karen Valby, author of The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History. The book records the largely forgotten stories of five Black ballerinas who changed the art form. Their stories are surprising and vivid and poignant… and totally worth your time if you enjoyed our most recent season of The Turning. 

In our second episode of the series, Karen Valby speaks with former ballerina and founding member of the Dance Theater of Harlem, Sheila Rohan. You can buy The Swans of Harlem here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/716415/the-swans-of-harlem-by-karen-valby/ 

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As we work on Season 3 of The Turning, we have something special for you: two episodes featuring Karen Valby, author of The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History. The book records the largely forgotten stories of five Black ballerinas who changed the art form. Their stories are surprising and vivid and poignant… and totally worth your time if you enjoyed our most recent season of The Turning. 

On the first episode, Karen Valby talks with former prima ballerina Lydia Abarca. You can buy The Swans of Harlem here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/716415/the-swans-of-harlem-by-karen-valby/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PART FOUR - "Balanchine was so fond of perfume that leaves the scent of that dancer behind, and it still permeates."

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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PART THREE - "There are no windows, because we don't need windows, because the outside world doesn't matter. He was God in the theater. Ever observing, ever present. Are you a patriot? Are you a citizen? Are you willing to do whatever I ask you to do?"

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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PART TWO - "I would experiment a little. I would go to the theater, and the lights would go down, and I would say, 'Okay, I'm going to give you my mood. I'm going to give you all these troubles, and you do something with it,' said I to the stage. And then I would walk out, and I felt like somebody had rinsed me."

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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PART ONE - "He used to say, 'What are you looking at dear? You can't see you. Only I can see you.'"

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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A closed, elite group asks for sacrifice and extreme devotion from its members. It produces elegant dancers, but at what cost?

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A grab-bag of stories and extras.

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The countdown to curtain begins.

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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PART TEN - "If it is going to stick with us forever, it matters that we get it right."

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts 

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PART NINE - "I remember thinking, am I the only one like me who's ever walked these halls?"

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts 

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PART EIGHT -

"Blackness is a vehicle. It's a vehicle to get people where they need to go."


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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts 

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PART SEVEN - "Who decided this? ... Did the skies open up, and the ballet God said, 'This is how it has to be'? No, it's just what we've all been programmed."

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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PART SIX - "It feels like this hazy distant silhouette of a thing that doesn’t feel real, like a wild dream that I can’t fully recall."

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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PART FIVE - "Gone unchecked, bad things can happen. And they did."

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TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts

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