About Us
Blacks in Ballet (BIB) was created from the initiative of Brazilian dancers Ingrid Silva, Ruan Galdino and Fábio Mariano. With the purpose of discovering, disseminating and valuing beautiful black bodies in dance, they created the platform on social media to reaffirm that black classical dancers exist.
BIB brings on its Instagram, Facebook and website examples of black dance professionals who were references in the history of dance, highlighting those important names, as well as current dancers and future talents.
There are many black dancers from different nationalities with beautiful stories that can inspire many other people. The aim of the founding trio is to make more people aware of the success stories and normalize diversity in the dance world.
Founders
Ingrid Silva
Ingrid Silva is a professional ballerina. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she moved to New York City at the age of 18 after being invited by the Dance Theater of Harlem, where she is now the principal dancer.
She mentors young dancers and believes in the importance and strength of representation for women to follow their dreams inside and outside.
Aside from her stage highlights, Ingrid also stands out as a digital influencer and has starred in national and international campaigns for prestigious brands. She is also the founder of EmpowHer New York, a non-profit for womxn and LGBT+ community to find representation in the digital world.
Ruan Galdino
Ruan Galdino is a professional ballet dancer, currently Senior Soloist at Joburg Ballet, the most prestigious ballet company in South Africa. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ruan has performed in Russia, USA, Mozambique and Brazil and he has been playing the lead roles at Joburg Ballet for the last 3 years.
Coming from a humble background, Ruan wants to keep inspiring the new generation of dancers and create a space in the dance world with more inclusion, diversity and opportunities.
BIB is one of his dreams that came true, giving a new perspective to the world by showing talented black dancers that made their names in the industry and inspire upcoming ones.
Fábio Mariano
Fábio Mariano is a professional dancer and teacher currently working with Collage Dance Collective in Memphis, TN. Originally from Brazil, Fábio graduated from the dance school of Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro and has worked professionally in Brazil and USA, performing full length ballets and contemporary works by renowned choreographers.
Mr. Mariano believes that, though there has been advance in the matter of diversity in dance, there is still a lot to be accomplished and he is passionate about Blacks in Ballet’s mission to keep inspiring diversity and inclusion.