Berlin State Ballet's First Black Dancer Wins Settlement Over Allegations of Racism

Chloe Lopes Gomes, the first Black ballet dancer at the Berlin State Ballet, has been awarded 16,000 euros and the renewal of her contract in a settlement over allegations of racism, WION reports.

Lopes Gomes' contract will be renewed for one more season and will be terminated at the end of the 2021/22 season.

"It's a small victory but already a big step for the ballet world and I think this will make a huge change," she said.

Read more on WION.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, earlier this year, Lopes Gomes launched a fightback that forced the State Ballet to launch an internal investigation into her complaints.

She cited many instances where she was singled out for her skin color, including being told that she can't wear a white veil that all dancers were wearing because, "the veil is white and you're black."

Lopes Gomes said she was subject to "harassment" at the hands of her boss since 2018 when she began working with the company. She was also asked to wear white make-up for a production.

In December, the Berlin State Ballet launched an internal investigation into discrimination and racism due to Lopes Gomes' complaints.

To post a comment, you must register and login.