The Swans of Harlem is a beautifully written retrospective histo-biography of Lydia Abarca and the Dance Theatre of Harlem chronicled by Karen Valby. Released 30th April 2024 by Knopf Doubleday on their Pantheon imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is a meticulously researched and appelaingly accessible tribute to the beauty and resilience of these 5 ballerinas and the Harlem dance theatre. Ms. Abarca was an international success and celebrated as the "dreaming soul of dance" during the height of the civil rights movement. She was the first ballerina of color to be featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. 50 years later, her stories and successes were largely forgotten. This book is a tribute to her and other classical dancers' beauty and strength.
There is poignancy and sadness, but awe-inspiring spirit and (although overused) resiliency. For any readers who are interested in classical dance and ballet, there is fascinating background and behind-the-scenes history to be found here. That the principals are also women of color is impressive.
Well written, thorough, and balanced history very much focused on the individual dancers involved. In the ARC and materials provided for review, there are no illustrations or photographs, but there is a very well researched bibliography and chapter notes which include many links for further reading.
Five stars. A good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, and gift giving to culture/dance/dance history interested readers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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