That’s still so Raven

CHARLOTTE BALLET

Raven Barkley, a first company dancer with Charlotte Ballet, was a shy child, but discovered her artistic voice with dance.

Raven Barkley, a first company dancer with Charlotte Ballet, was a shy child, but discovered her artistic voice with dance.

Ten years into her professional career with Charlotte Ballet, Barkley is one of the company’s longest tenured ballerinas, but it wasn’t always a goal. As a child growing up in the Bronx, she was surrounded by the arts but attaching to ballet was not immediate. 

“My mom and I were in the market for middle schools when I was younger and she was like ‘We are going to take this audition for a school in New York called Ballet Tech’ and I was like ‘No, I don't want to,’” she recalled. “Once I took the audition at Ballet Tech, I was kept until the end, and I learned to like it because I was very shy as a kid, and I found that I had a voice in dance, and I had a voice in ballet. I’ve always loved something that is a challenge for me because I feel that’s how I grow personally.” 

That audition opened doors. Barkley trained at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. She went from being hesitant to get into the ballet to laying the foundation for a professional career.

Barkley auditioned for Charlotte Ballet in 2015 during her senior year at the State University of New York at Purchase, one of the country’s top conservatories. Dance companies across the country gathered in New York to recruit the best talent and Barkley, who graduated with a degree in dance, drew immediate interest – and a job offer.

“I got called back and sent in a couple videos,” she said. “I also came down to sit in a couple of classes with the company at Charlotte Ballet and got to sit in on some of the rehearsals. I got to work with the rehearsal director on some footage that they sent me to work on, and I was offered a contract. Here I am 10 years later, still rocking and rolling.” 

When the pandemic slowed arts productions and social interaction in general across the U.S., Barkley found herself with time to reflect on and appreciate the milestones she accomplished at such an early age. 
“It was hard work,” she said. 

A decade in, Barkley can look back on what she has achieved as a first company ballerina, along with the growth and opportunities afforded along the way. She has performed works by well-known choreographers like Dwight Rhoden, Sasha Janes, Bryan Arias, George Balanchine, Robert Garland, Jessica Lang and Arthur Mitchell.

“I’ve been fortunate to see the evolution of the company,” Barkley said. 

As Charlotte has grown over the years, Charlotte Ballet has as well, expanding its collaborations with cultural mainstays such as the Charlotte Symphony and the Mint Museum. It’s also made strides in bringing dance to communities that had previously been overlooked.

“It’s kind of like creating one whole beautiful art scene in Charlotte as it grows, and we are all growing with each other,” Barkley said.

Over the years, Barkley learned the balance of when to push through physical challenges inherent in dance and emphasizes the importance of taking care of body and the mind considering those demands. 

“There are times when your body is telling you to ice your feet,” she said. “Listen to that. I believe that is one of the main things when trying to have longevity.” 

Although the physical aspect of dance is important, Barkley makes sure her self care is well rounded. “Mentally it is very taxing too,” she said “I have been very cognizant about having time outside of the studio to do things that inspire me and things that make me whole as a human being because that translates to who you are as an artist.”

Throughout her career, Barkley recalled favorite roles like the Lilac Fairy, her first introduction to the Charlotte stage in “Winter" by Janes and Rose in “The Nutcracker.” “Everything's my favorite,” she said. “I always gain knowledge. I always gain something new about myself. I always gain something new about my artistry.”

Barkley's work on stage is only part of her legacy. Giving back is important, too. She mentors and teaches in her free time and although she has no plans of retiring any time soon she enjoys teaching and hopes to do more of it.

“I’ve always loved giving back to the next generation,” she said. “Somebody gave their all for me, somebody helped me so I am always willing to give back to my community because that's how we keep the legacy going, that's how we keep relevant, that’s how we keep community. That is something truly important to me.” 

Barkley also understands the weight of being a Black ballerina. Ballet often comes with stigmas and stereotypes for Black dancers but she lives by a quote passed down from her mentor: “We represent something larger than ourselves.”

“I try to do my best to represent,” she said, “There are always going to be moments that are questionable, but the biggest thing is pushing through those challenges and growing from them.”

Dance is not just about the performing for Barkley but it's about the connections that are built. 

“Ballet is movement, and movement is a universal language,” she said.

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