Evelyn Cisneros: Breaking Barriers Within the World of Ballet

           (Above): Evelyn Cisneros. Photo Credit: Festival Ballet Theatre.      There are perhaps only a limited number of ballet dancers who can be considered as having paved the way for a specific community in the ballet world. One of these individuals is undoubtedly Evelyn Cisneros. She is widely considered to be the first Hispanic prima ballerina in the U.S. Prima ballerinas are the principal dancers in their ballet companies who perform the lead roles in the ballets. Her being the first Latina woman to hold such a high-ranking position within a ballet company is a historic feat. I decided to focus on Cisneros precisely because of this astonishing accomplishment. She is Mexican-American, and I am a first-generation Latina as well. I feel a personal connection to her to a certain extent due to our similar cultural backgrounds. She is a trailblazer for the Latino community in the world of ballet, which is inspiring to me. Cultural diversity within any environment is important, espe

(Above): Cisneros (back row, second from left) with her family. Photo Credit:  Evelyn Cisneros: Prima Ballerina.  Capstone Press, 2007.          Cisneros was born on November 18, 1959, in Long Beach, California (Godoy). She was raised in Huntington Beach. Born to Mexican immigrants, Cisneros was taught very early on to always honor and embrace her heritage. She was part of a very big family that would attend a Spanish-speaking church every Sunday (Krohn). Even though she would socialize frequently with the various members of her extended family, Cisneros was extremely shy. The reason that she began ballet lessons was actually because of this debilitating shyness. Her mother, Esther, knew that she loved dancing to mariachi music at family gatherings (Krohn). When Cisneros was eight years old, Esther signed her up for ballet lessons in an attempt to assist her in overcoming her shyness. She would feign stomach aches and other illnesses to avoid going, but her mother said that she would h

(Above): Cisneros (right) as Odette and Anthony Randazzo (left) as Prince Siegfried in Helgi Tomasson's Swan Lake . Photo Credit: Museum of Performance + Design, 1989.      After completing her apprenticeship, Cisneros became an official member of the San Francisco Ballet in 1977 (“Evelyn Cisneros: One of the First Hispanic Prima Ballerinas in the U.S.”). The ballet company was under the directorship of Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin. When first joining the company, she was in the corps de ballet. While forming part of this group, she faced discrimination for being Latina. She was required to wear certain makeup to lighten her skin and “fit in” with the other dancers (Ogden). This was difficult for Cisneros, but she persevered and made it her goal to climb the ranks within the company. Her first appearance as a prima ballerina was actually when she was replacing a dancer who got injured. Despite learning the choreography in just five hours, Cisneros left a lasting impression on

(Above): Cisneros on the cover of Dance Magazine, Vol. 57, no. 12, December, 1983. Photo Credit: Dance Magazine.      Considering Cisneros’ life has been so eventful, there are a multitude of interesting facts about her. One is that she has been featured on the covers of Dance Magazine , Ballet News , and Hispanic Magazine (“Evelyn Cisneros”). She was on the cover of Dance Magazine alone on three different occasions. This is undoubtedly because of her amazing career and legacy. Another interesting fact about Cisneros is that throughout her career, she has continuously given back to the Latino community. She volunteered at Girls, Inc. and Latinas y Que (“Cisneros, Evelyn: 1959—: Ballerina”). Her particular interest in young Latina girls influenced her to volunteer at these organizations. In the 1980s, she joined the board of Project Open Hand (“Cisneros, Evelyn: 1959—: Ballerina”). This organization delivered meals to those suffering from AIDS. Before Cisneros joined, they were having

     Today, Cisneros continues working in education. In 2020, she became the director of the four campuses of the Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy, located in Utah (Haley). Her primary goal with the academy is to build up the youth, as they are the future generation of ballet dancers (Haley). Her many years of dancing and subsequent teaching experience upon retirement from ballet will surely assist her in taking on such an important role. I ultimately chose to focus on Cisneros because of her legacy as the first Latina prima ballerina. This is an astonishing accomplishment that revolutionized the world of ballet. It surely opened the door for many other Latinas to pursue their dreams of dancing for a professional ballet company. Her journey was not easy, as she had to overcome prejudice and discrimination. These difficulties also resonated with me, as I understand what it is like to be a woman of color. However, her work ethic and raw talent allowed her to rise above all t

“Ballet Trailblazer - Evelyn Cisneros-Legate.” School of American Ballet , 28 Mar. 2023, https://sab.org/scenes/ballet-trailblazer-evelyn-cisneros/ “Cisneros, Evelyn: 1959—: Ballerina.” Encyclopedia , Cengage, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/cisneros-evelyn-1959-ballerina “Evelyn Cisneros.” The Portland Ballet , https://theportlandballet.org/portfolio/evelyn-cisnerose/ “Evelyn Cisneros: One of the First Hispanic Prima Ballerinas in the U.S.” Charlotte Ballet 20 Sept. 2021, https://charlotteballet.org/2021/09/20/hispanic-heritage-month-evelyn-cisneros/ Hilton, Haley. “Ballet West Academy’s New Director on Dream Building during COVID-19.” Dance Teacher, 19 Oct. 2020, https://dance-teacher.com/evelyn-cisneros-legate-ballet-west/ Kriegsman, Alan  M. “Dazzlers on Their Feet.” The Washington Post , WP Company, 29 Mar. 1982, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/03/29/dazzlers-on-their-feet/96134e1d-6d17-4428-aad1-f146c57857c1/ Krohn, K