Arts and Culture

Black S.F. Francisco Ballet Dancer Angela Watson Appears in Oakland Premiere of Film on Misty Copeland

On Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. at Oakland Paramount Theatre, Oakland Ballet Company and Life in Motion Productions will present the Oakland premiere of “Flower,” a short film starring and produced by international ballet trailblazer Misty Copeland.

Published

2 years ago

October 3, 2023

Oakland Post

Angela Watson is among several Black ballerinas blazing new trails in ballet companies across the country, Europe and Asia. Courtesy photo.

By Carolyn Evans

Without using dialogue, the film provides an artistic impression of the homeless, unhoused and worsening medical conditions of a community of Black and Brown people bombarded by the impacts of gentrification.

A highlight of the event will be a live performance featuring Angela Watson, a Black ballerina from the Oakland-Bay Area who is the newest member of the San Francisco Ballet Company and appears courtesy of Tamara Rojo, its new artistic director.

Watson’s invitation to perform at the premiere of “Flower” at the behest of the Oakland Ballet Company is a measure of her formidable talent and a sign of respect among professionals in ballet.

Like Misty Copeland, whose rise to become a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, Watson is part of the changing face of ballet as more Black ballerinas take their places in dance companies all over the country and abroad.

In 2015, Copeland ascended into the pantheon of principal dancers at the American Ballet Theatre. Since then, Black ballerinas have been blazing new trails.

Watson’s journey to becoming a ballerina began at Oakland’s Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, then Oakland Ballet Company School followed by Oakland School for the Arts where she first received formal ballet technique training at age 12 by OSA School of Dance artistic director Reginald Ray Savage and ballet master Alison Hurley (both now retired).

In 2016, Watson accepted a full scholarship offer to train with SF Ballet School, the first American classical ballet school and danced the lead role of Clara in “The Nutcracker” for the next two seasons as a pre-professional SFBS David Palmer Student Scholar.

This is when Watson, then only 14, and Copeland first crossed paths sharing experiences of the uphill climb in becoming ballerinas. Continuing her journey up the ranks of the school, Watson earned a spot in the coveted 2021 SFBS International Professional Training Program.

She advanced to apprentice the year after and in 2023 she was promoted and became the only Black ballerina to advance as a member of the main company in the corps de ballet. Watson is the only African American holding a spot in the corps and was promoted alongside five Asian ballerinas.

Black women are quietly shattering stereotypes and scaling the ranks of predominantly white ballet companies. Among others, these include: Olivia Boisson, New York City Ballet; Michaela DePrince and Chyrstyn Fentroy, Boston Ballet; Precious Adams, English National Ballet; Jasmine Perry, soloist, Los Angeles Ballet; Francesca Hayward, principal dancer, The Royal Ballet; Awa Joannais, Paris Opera Ballet; Nicole Zadra, Hong Kong Ballet; Katlyn Addison, Ballet West and Dara Holmes, Joffrey Ballet.

In joining the list of trailblazers changing the face of ballet, Watson became the first Black ballerina to join the San Francisco Ballet since Kimberly Braylock in 2013.

Braylock retired seven years later just before the shutdown brought on by the pandemic. These women have inspirational ballerina tales that must be shared, because, as Misty Copeland proves, there is power in visibility.

Watson also debuted a new work, “Reciprocity,” with music by award-winning Christopher Willis, a major motion picture composer who was among Watson’s artistic collaborators as a SFB Helgi Tómasson Choreographic Fellow in 2022.

“Reciprocity” captivated the audience last year at San Francisco Ballet School’s (SFBS) annual spring dance festival and gala at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts/Blue Shield of California Theatre that supports funding for SFBS scholarships and other school activities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Watson also has a long history of participating in many other charitable activities, including KTVU’s One Warm Coat, Oakland Elizabeth House, and St. Mary’s Senior Shelter.

As a member of SFBS/SFB, Watson has danced a number of roles.

Included in her resume are featured roles in ‘The Nutcracker,” “Cinderella,” “Swan Lake,” “La Sylphide,” “Giselle,” “Don Quixote,” “Symphony in C” and other SFB programs.

During 2024, which will be new artistic director Rojo’s inaugural season, expect to see Watson perform in programs including “Nutcracker” (Dec. 13-30); “Mere Mortals” (Jan. 26-Feb. 1); “British Icons” (Feb. 9-15); “Swan Lake” (Feb. 23-Mar. 3); “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Mar. 12-23)” “next@90 encores” (Apr. 2-13); and “Dos Mujeres” (Apr. 4-14).

Tickets for Oakland premiere of “Flower” are available at www.oaklandballet.org/flower

Tickets for SFBallet Nutcracker and 2024 Season lineup available at www.sfballet.org

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Arts and Culture

BOOK REVIEW: Love, Rita: An American Story of Sisterhood, Joy, Loss, and Legacy

When Bridgett M. Davis was in college, her sister Rita was diagnosed with lupus, a disease of the immune system that often left her constantly tired and sore. Davis was a bit unfazed, but sympathetic to Rita’s suffering and also annoyed that the disease sometimes came between them. By that time, they needed one another more than ever.

Published

9 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Love Rita Book Cover. Courtesy of Harper.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Bridgett M. Davis, c.2025, Harper, $29.99, 367 Pages

Take care.

Do it because you want to stay well, upright, and away from illness. Eat right, swallow your vitamins and hydrate, keep good habits and hygiene, and cross your fingers. Take care as much as you can because, as in the new book, “Love, Rita” by Bridgett M. Davis, your well-being is sometimes out of your hands.

It was a family story told often: when Davis was born, her sister, Rita, then four years old, stormed up to her crying newborn sibling and said, ‘Shut your … mouth!’

Rita, says Davis, didn’t want a little sister then. She already had two big sisters and a neighbor who was somewhat of a “sister,” and this baby was an irritation. As Davis grew, the feeling was mutual, although she always knew that Rita loved her.

Over the years, the sisters tried many times not to fight — on their own and at the urging of their mother — and though division was ever present, it eased when Rita went to college. Davis was still in high school then, and she admired her big sister.

She eagerly devoured frequent letters sent to her in the mail, signed, “Love, Rita.”

When Davis was in college herself, Rita was diagnosed with lupus, a disease of the immune system that often left her constantly tired and sore. Davis was a bit unfazed, but sympathetic to Rita’s suffering and also annoyed that the disease sometimes came between them. By that time, they needed one another more than ever.

First, they lost their father. Drugs then invaded the family and addiction stole two siblings. A sister and a young nephew were murdered in a domestic violence incident. Their mother was devastated; Rita’s lupus was an “added weight of her sorrow.”

After their mother died of colon cancer, Rita’s lupus took a turn for the worse.

“Did she even stand a chance?” Davis wrote in her journal.

“It just didn’t seem possible that she, someone so full of life, could die.”

Let’s start here: once you get past the prologue in “Love, Rita,” you may lose interest. Maybe.

Most of the stories that author Bridgett M. Davis shares are mildly interesting, nothing rare, mostly commonplace tales of growing up in the 1960s and ’70s with a sibling. There are a lot of these kinds of stories, and they tend to generally melt together. After about fifty pages of them, you might start to think about putting the book aside.

But don’t. Not quite yet.

In between those everyday tales, Davis occasionally writes about being an ailing Black woman in America, the incorrect assumptions made by doctors, the history of medical treatment for Black people (women in particular), attitudes, and mythologies. Those passages are now and then, interspersed, but worth scanning for.

This book is perhaps best for anyone with the patience for a slow-paced memoir, or anyone who loves a Black woman who’s ill or might be ill someday. If that’s you and you can read between the lines, then “Love, Rita” is a book to take in carefully.

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Activism

Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

9 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Activism

Golden State Warriors Program Is Inspiring Next Generation of Female Engineers

Breaking down barriers and biases that deter young girls from pursuing STEAM subjects is essential for creating a level playing field and ensuring equal opportunities for all. By challenging stereotypes and promoting a culture of inclusivity and diversity in STEAM fields, experts believe young girls can be empowered to pursue their interests and aspirations without limitations confidently. Encouraging mentorship, providing access to resources, and celebrating girls’ achievements in STEAM are all crucial steps in creating a supportive environment that fosters success.

Published

1 month ago

March 23, 2025

Oakland Post

Front Row: UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team Back Row: Girls, Inc. Participants. Photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors.

By Y’Anad Burrell

The Golden State Warriors and e-commerce giant Rakuten are joining forces to inspire the next generation of female engineers through Building STEAM Futures, part of The City Calls campaign.

Organizers say the initiative is founded on the idea that science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are crucial fields for innovation and progress, and empowering young girls to pursue careers in these areas is more important than ever. Studies consistently show that girls are underrepresented in STEAM fields, resulting in a gender disparity that limits potential and hinders diversity.

On Saturday, March 8, International Women’s Day, the Warriors and Rakuten hosted 20 middle school girls from Girls Inc. of Alameda County at Chase Center’s Above the Rim for a hands-on bridge-building experience. The young girls from Girls, Inc. of Alameda County had an opportunity to design, build and test their own bridge prototypes and learn the fundamentals of bridge construction from the Engineering Alliance and the UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team.

This STEAM experience for the girls followed the first session in January, where they took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, learning about its design and construction from industry experts. The City Calls campaign, tipped off with the unveiling the Warriors’ new bridge-themed City Edition jerseys and court design earlier this year.