Olivia Boisson
{{short description|American ballet dancer}}
{{Infobox dancer
| name = Olivia Boisson
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Forest Hills, Queens
New York City, New York
United States
| education = School of American Ballet
| occupation = Ballet dancer
| years_active = 2012–present
| current_group = New York City Ballet
}}
Olivia Boisson is an American ballet dancer. In 2013, she joined the corps de ballet at New York City Ballet, becoming the first black person to join the company in a decade.
Biography
Olivia Boisson was born in Queens, New York to Haitian immigrants.{{cite web|url=https://www.browngirlsdoballet.com/blog2/2015/07/29/brown-ballerina-spotlight-q-a-olivia-boisson|title=Brown Ballerina Spotlight: Q & A Olivia Boisson|website=Browngirlsdoballet.com|accessdate=29 April 2019}} She began dancing when she was six years old, training at The Ballet Arts School of Forest Hills in Forest Hills, Queens. In 2000, she studied classical ballet at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2004, she enrolled as a full-time student at the School of American Ballet and was the only African-American dancer in her year.{{cite web|url=https://www.dancespirit.com/olivia-boisson-reveals-what-its-like-being-a-dancer-of-color-2535007938.html|title=NYCB's Olivia Boisson on What It's Really Like Being a Ballet Dancer of Color|date=15 February 2018|website=Dancespirit.com|accessdate=29 April 2019}} She was a recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award in 2012, joining the New York City Ballet as an apprentice that same year.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Olivia-Boisson.aspx |title=NYCB - New York City Ballet - Dancers |access-date=2019-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027190257/https://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Olivia-Boisson.aspx |archive-date=2018-10-27 |url-status=dead }} In December 2013, she became a member of the company's corps de ballet, becoming the first black dancer to join the company in a decade.{{cite web|url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a17888445/i-always-knew-id-be-a-ballerinaeven-though-very-few-women-in-the-industry-look-like-me/|title='I Always Knew I'd Be A Ballerina—Even Though Very Few Women In The Industry Look Like Me'|first=Kristine|last=Thomason|date=23 February 2018|publisher=Women's Health|accessdate=29 April 2019}}
Her repertoire at New York City Ballet has included roles in George Balanchine's ballets such as Prayer in Coppélia, Coffee in The Nutcracker, Chaconne, and The Four Temperaments. She has also danced as a princess in Peter Martins' Swan Lake and Cellos in Jerome Robbins' Fanfare. As a member of the corps de ballet, she was an original cast member in JR's Les Bosquets.
In 2018, in honor of Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday, Boisson was featured in Melika Dez and Jeremy McQueen's 100 FISTS, a photography series that featured black dancers in New York City.{{cite web|url=https://www.pointemagazine.com/black-iris-project-100-fists-2583247153.html|title=The Black Iris Project Photographed 100 Black Dancers Around NYC in Celebration of Nelson Mandela's Centennial|date=3 July 2018|website=Pointemagazine.com|accessdate=29 April 2019}} That same year, Boisson and other members of New York City Ballet modeled for Puma's Spring/Summer collection and their Do You campaign.{{cite web|url=https://www.pointemagazine.com/nycb-dancers-pumas-new-collection-2412945869.html|title=NYCB Dancers Show Off PUMA's Spring/Summer Collection|date=27 January 2017|website=Pointe|accessdate=29 April 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://karlamdal.com/puma-do-you-1|title=KARL AMDAL - PUMA - DO YOU - OLIVIA BOISSON|website=Karlamdal.com|accessdate=29 April 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boisson, Olivia}}
Category:21st-century American ballet dancers
Category:African-American ballerinas
Category:American people of Haitian descent
Category:Dancers from New York (state)
Category:Mae L. Wien Award recipients
Category:New York City Ballet dancers
Category:People from Forest Hills, Queens