October 21, 2025
Bradley has been with the company since 2017 and has been a vocal advocate for diversity in ballet.
India Bradley is a prima ballerina making history in the dance world.
Bradley has become the New York City Ballet’s first Black soloist in the company’s history, The New York Times reports. Promoted alongside five other dancers, her appointment grows the company’s diversity and representation.
According to her New York City Ballet profile, the Detroit native has been dancing since age four. Upon completing the summer program at the Dance Theatre of Harlem as a teen, she began its Professional Training program under Andrea Long’s teaching.
A legendary ballerina, Long performed with the New York City Ballet before moving on to become a principal dancer at the Dance Theater of Harlem. The company’s founder, Arthur Mitchell, became the first Black dancer at New York City Ballet in 1955.
Bradley advanced to the rank of apprentice in 2017, officially joining the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet the following year. However, Bradley’s dance career has marked other “firsts” before. Since her time with the New York City Ballet, she has premiered as the first Black Dewdrop in a performance of George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker.”
Of her historic role, she told Essence Girls United of her duty toward representation in ballet.
“It was very important to me,” she said of her casting in 2024. “Many African-American women went through this company at different times and were not given the opportunity. I can tell you it had 50 percent to do with the fact that they were Black.”
She added, “Dancing that role would be incredible for any girl. Being the first Black woman to dance it, obviously, is a completely different moment. I don’t think anyone ever expected, when George [Balanchine] first choreographed the role, for that to ever be the case.”
Zippia reports that Black women dancers remain scarce in the ballet world. Black people account for only 4% of ballet dancers, the second-lowest represented demographic. With this in mind, Bradley’s promotion is a remarkable feat for diversity in this specific sector of dance.
Bradley understands numerous factors play a role in this ongoing lack of diversity, but hopes her inclusion will break new ground for upcoming Black ballerinas.
“Exposure has a lot to do with it,” she continued. “Ballet was originally an outing for the wealthy; that’s still the case in some ways. It’s maintained by having an element of exclusivity, where you can only go if you can afford a $100 ticket. If you never know that ballet exists, then you’ll never want to be a ballet dancer. It’s that simple.”
As a soloist, Bradley will take on featured roles within the company’s performances as she leaps toward new opportunities on stage.
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