dancers, regardless of race, were finally presented as true artists. Although the company's premiere was a critical moment for the future of dance in America, its success wasn't sustainable. The American Negro Ballet Company survived for barely a year and ended in 1938. Thanks to Von Grona's artistic motivation many other choreographers followed in his footsteps by bringing black Americans to the stage. Just a few years later, the First Negro Classic Ballet premiered in Los Angeles, and by 1954 the New York Negro Ballet was already touring internationally. Major works Firebird, one of Eugene Von Grona's most famous works, was performed in 1937 at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem by the First American Negro Ballet. The work was a ballet composed of two scenes, lasting for 45 minutes. References Neal, N.D. (2018, November). Hemsley Winfield: The Forgotten Pioneer of Modern Dance – An Annotated Bibliography, 2nd Edition, Publisher: Author. Hemsley Winfield website - https://sites.google.com/site/hemsleywinfield/home "Black, Back." Time. 29 Nov. 1937. Atlanta. 10 Apr. 2008. Greene, Jonnie. "Classic Black- Photography Exhibit of African American Ballet Dancers, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, New York, New York - Black History Month." Feb. 1997. BNET.Com. Dance Magazine. Atlanta. 10 Apr. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1083 Hudson, Sara S. "The First Negro Classic Ballet." Archival Outlook. Jan.-Feb. 2003. The Huntington Library. 23 Mar. 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080309184609/http://www.huntington.org/LibraryDiv/firstnegroballet.html 1908 births 2000 deaths African-American dance Ballet choreographers