When Arthur Mitchell was in the New York City Ballet, he was the only black person in the company and very likely the only black in any major ballet company on the planet.

As for me, I took ballet lessons from the time I was 3 till I was nearly eighteen--not that I was ever seriously considering a career in it--my mom was the receptionist at a dance studio and all her girls got free lessons.

By the way, I also played viola, fenced on a nationally ranked college team, and I can read four languages (badly) other than my native tongue. You're already well aware of what my native tongue can do...