Chloé Lopes Gomes
Born
Nice, France
NationalityFrench
OccupationBallet dancer
AwardsBBC 100 Women (2021)
Career
Current groupStaatsballett Berlin

Chloé Lopes Gomes (born c. 1991) is a French ballet dancer known for being the first biracial female dancer from subsaharan African descent in the Staatsballett Berlin.[1][2]

Personal life

Lopes Gomes was born in Nice, France.[3] Her father is from Cape Verde, and her mother is French and Algerian. She is mixed-race. [4]

Career

Lopes Gomes first took dance lessons at the Conservatoire de Nice.[3] She later trained at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille then the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Russia.[5][6] She has performed with Opéra de Nice, France, the New English Ballet Theater, and Béjart Ballet in Lausanne, Switzerland.[6][7]

Lopes Gomes joined the Staatsballett Berlin in 2018, and became their first Black ballet dancer.[2] In 2020, Lopes Gomes' contract was not renewed and she left the Staatsballett Berlin. Lopes Gomes later alleged she was discriminated against because of her race and directed to wear whitening make-up to perform while at Staatsballett Berlin.[2] Staatsballett Berlin conducted an investigation into the claims, later giving out €16,000 to Lopes Gomes and renewed her contract in an out-of-court settlement.[7][8]

Lopes Gomes was named in BBC's 100 Women 2021.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Black ballet dancers 'proud' of Chloé Lopes Gomes after racism claims". BBC News. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Sulcas, Roslyn (2020-12-11). "Black Ballerina, Playing a Swan, Says She Was Told to Color Her Skin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  3. 1 2 "Now is the time". Vogue Italia (in Italian). 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  4. ↑ "Black dancer calls for change in 'closed and elitist' world of ballet". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  5. ↑ "Chloe Lopes Gomes". www.staatsballett-berlin.de. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. 1 2 "Berlin: Staatsballett's first black female dancer accuses it of racism". the Guardian. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  7. 1 2 "Black ballet dancer Lopes Gomes wins Berlin racism case". BBC News. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  8. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (2021-04-22). "Staatsballett Berlin and Dancer Reach Settlement Over Bias Allegations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  9. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
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