I just watched an interesting documentary about Jock Soto, the phenomenal Puerto Rican/Navajo danseur for the New York City Ballet. He is considered the greatest dance partner of our time. Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon said of him, “If 12 ballerinas jumped from a burning building, Jock would catch them all.”
So, why is it that incredibly talented people of color who achieve greatness in the physical arts, are deemed so either by ‘instinct’ or ‘power’ by their white peers and critics? Intelligence, dedication, discipline, and luck; the true components, are rarely cited. This was sadly the case for many of the ballerinas Jock Soto caught. It is true of the Williams sisters. Addict/professional racist Rush Limbaugh said it was why there would never be a successful black quarterback. When Donovan McNabb proved him wrong, he claimed McNabb was still ‘overrated’. When you can’t win for losing, it makes it all the more impossible to even dream of winning. And we all need our dreams.
Water Flowing Together, the name of the documentary, is still well worth watching. The physical pain of a professional dance career and the courage in being an out gay person of color are well told.
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