Vanessa Evers, 163, Black Dance and Dancers and the White Public

Brenda Dixon states at the beginning of her essay on definitions of black dance that history teaches us that separate is inherently unequal in reference to the creation of categories for white and black dance (for example, ballet performed by black dancers is labeled Black Classicism). Although she makes this assertion, she follows by saying that it is still important to create a definition for black dance because of the historical need for recognition. Further, she affirms that black people in the United States can benefit from the recognition that would be granted by a definition for black dance through identity and legal rights. More specifically, she also says that because critics are currently unaware of or insufficiently educated about black dance and its cultural roots. Thus choreographers, such as Alvin Ailey, are “contextually misconceived.” The reader can infer that with a separate definition, choreographers would be evaluated accurately and given the appreciation they deserve.
Although I agree with Dixon, I also think that she is contradicting herself by simultaneously demanding, in the words of Marquez, a new schema to analyze a different culture and criticizing the existence of relegated spheres for white and black dance. As we saw in The Freshest Kids, no dance is genuinely pure and original; rather, dancers are constantly reinventing and collaborating with other cultures. Further, classifying ballet danced by black ballerinas as Black Classicism seems counter-productive and unequal. Is Dixon saying that the advantages of labeling a dance performed by black dancers or with roots in the African diaspora as “black dance” outweigh the disadvantages of the separation of spheres?