Black Ballerinas: The Management of Emotional and Aesthetic Labor*

Abstract

Ballet is an elite and predominantly white profession that has mirrored history. Black dancers have been historically excluded and remain severely underrepresented through controlling images, discrimination, and marginalization. As an occupation, ballet demands intensive emotional and aesthetic labor. This research relies on interviews to better understand the experiences of Black women in ballet in context. It specifically examines the ways that Black dancers negotiate two forms of labor that have typically been theorized separately: emotional and aesthetic labor. Theoretically, these findings build on and challenge conceptualizations of emotional and aesthetic labor as separately theorized social processes. In this article, I show how emotional and aesthetic labor are on dramatic display through Black ballet dancers’ workplace experiences.