Booktalk: Denver-based Karlya Shelton-Benjamin is featured in “Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years Of Sisterhood, And Their Reclamation Of A Groundbreaking History” by Karen Valby

Host Diana Korte speaks with Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, a Swan of Harlem herself and Denver native who is one of the dancers featured in “The Swans Of Harlem” written by Karen Valby.

It’s the forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas, the first principals in the Dance Theatre of Harlem, who traveled the world as highly celebrated stars in their field and whose legacy was erased from history until now.

Karlya Shelton-Benjamin began dancing at age 4 with the Colorado Concert Ballet (currently Colorado Ballet). At 17, she became the first person of color to represent the United States in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne ballet competition in Switzerland. Along with performances with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, she’s a founding member of Peridance, and has taught and coached at Oakland Ballet and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

Denver Events:

5/22/24 @ 5 pm, BRIC Fund presents Art and Activism: Swans of Harlem, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre, 119 Park Ave West, Denver CO 80205

5/25/24 @ 6 pm, Tattered Cover, 2526 E Colfax Ave, Denver CO 80206

Booktalk: Denver-based Karlya Shelton-Benjamin is featured in “Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years Of Sisterhood, And Their Reclamation Of A Groundbreaking History” by Karen Valby Veronica Straight-Lingo

Top authors are interviewed on this 10-minute program that captures their words about their books and ideas and often the story behind the story. The show, hosted by Diana Korte and engineered by Gene Korte, is in its 29th year of production.