DNYUZ
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Television
    • Theater
    • Gaming
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
DNYUZ
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Ballet star Nayara Lopes alleges teacher once used makeup to make her skin look whiter before pivotal performance

February 22, 2025
in News
Ballet star Nayara Lopes alleges teacher once used makeup to make her skin look whiter before pivotal performance
561
SHARES
1.6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

One of the top ballet dancers in America shockingly revealed Thursday night that just 14 year ago a teacher used makeup to make her skin look whiter before a pivotal performance.

Brazilian Nayara Lopes, a principal dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet, said that she came to the U.S. in 2011 to audition for the prestigious ballet competition, the Youth America Grand Prix.

During a panel at a YAGP in New York event, Lopes said: “My teacher, before I went on stage, she told me: ‘This is the chance of your life, everybody has spent a lot of money for you to get here… You have to get something!’”

“At 14 years old, that’s a lot of pressure,” the dancer added, “And she painted me white with her makeup, and she said, ‘This is the best way you’re going to get a chance.”

Misty Copeland, who in 2015 became the first Black principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater, was also on the panel.

Lopes said that at the time, she “accepted it.” “Now, I think back: How can you normalize this?,” she said during the “Classical Ballet Pantomime: The Evolution of Choreography” event at the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts, “I would do anything to change my life, to help my family — but now, as a dancer, I don’t want to be the dancer that did it because she had makeup on. I want to be the dancer who’s good enough to do it as myself.”

Also on the panel were Skylar Brandt and Calvin Royal III of American Ballet Theater and former member of the ABT, John Meehan.

Larissa Saveliev, YAGP’s founder and artistic director, told Page Six: “The moment Nayara stepped on stage her talent was obvious. YAGP saw her impeccable technique, strong training, and the artistry in her movement. Her performance spoke for itself and she won the 2011 Grand Prix Award, at YAGP Regionals in South Carolina.”

She added, “The reason YAGP annually travels to 25 plus American cities and 10 plus international cities is to find the most promising young dancers from around the world — regardless of origin or background.”

Saveliev said that YAGP’s mission since its founding 25 years ago has been to nurture young talent “wherever it is found.” “And to provide every aspiring dancer an equal platform from which they can receive life-changing scholarship opportunities and ultimately launch their careers at the world’s leading dance companies,” she said.

The post Ballet star Nayara Lopes alleges teacher once used makeup to make her skin look whiter before pivotal performance appeared first on Page Six.

Tags: danceracism
Share224Tweet140Share
Mariska Hargitay shares the surprising way she discovered her biological father’s identity
Entertainment

Mariska Hargitay shares the surprising way she discovered her biological father’s identity

by Fox News
June 28, 2025

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Mariska Hargitay-directed documentary “My Mom Jayne” covers a lot of ground ...

Read more
News

Daniel Suárez’s NASCAR Future In Doubt Amid 2025 Struggles

June 28, 2025
News

Shelter Staff Say Goodbye to Dog Who Waited Over 243 Days To Be Adopted

June 28, 2025
News

Biden to attend funeral for former Minnesota House Speaker Hortman, who was killed in shooting

June 28, 2025
News

Final battle damage assessment of US strikes on Iran will be key in US push for Iran nuclear deal

June 28, 2025
Spain’s Bonmati hospitalised with meningitis ahead of Euro 2025

Spain’s Bonmati hospitalised with meningitis ahead of Euro 2025

June 28, 2025
I worked at Tesla for 7 years. I quit because I couldn’t support Elon Musk any longer.

I worked at Tesla for 7 years. I quit because I couldn’t support Elon Musk any longer.

June 28, 2025
Wimbledon 2025: Coco Gauff is just 21 but already thinking about what to do after tennis

Wimbledon 2025: Coco Gauff is just 21 but already thinking about what to do after tennis

June 28, 2025

Copyright © 2025.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

Copyright © 2025.