Black lives matter

Part 1 | Jordan Faye

Dancer for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

July 9 2020

“I think this project is a great example of what artists of all branches can do to participate and help actively in this conversation. We all have our ways to help, and making art can be one of them.”

—Jordan

 
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The Black Lives Matter movement is a critical moment in history. It’s time for those who’ve remained silent to speak up. It’s equally important that white people spend more time listening. My personal goals are not to remain quiet and to have important conversations. Through photography I can take action; more importantly, I can highlight these conversations. I was thrilled beginning this project with Jordan.

“As a gay black man who’s also a ballet dancer, the Black Lives Matter movement holds a very special place in my heart. I’m a black man, yes. I’m also a brother, a son, a boyfriend, an uncle, a dancer. My skin colour is just a small part of who I am, so is my sexuality, and I hope people are going to start seeing beyond that.” —Jordan

Jordan was adopted to a loving family who strongly encouraged his gravitation to dance at the age of 7. Up until recently he was applying to dance companies all over the world. He was recently accepted to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

Directly due of the BLM movement, I recognize that as a white person I’ve been guilty for taking people like Jordan for granted. Given the details above, what do you see? This is a successful, hardworking man with love and support in his life. It’s been too easy for the majority of white people to overlook his experiences getting there; how they cannot have compared to those born into privilege. Society has been built to treat black people differently.

“Skin-tone” ballet slippers

Jordan gave me an example from his childhood of how society worked against him. Skin-toned slippers that are a requirement in ballet, weren’t always offered in a choice of colours to match his skin. As a child, he remembers his parents dipping his slippers in tea. They never did match. My mom put me in ballet when I was very young. Until today, this scenario never occurred to me. This is representative of my white privilege; my parents and I never struggled to find shoes that matched my skin, attempted to dye them, all regardless of a proper match. All these extra steps and energy spent - only to fall short. That is what life has looked like for so many black people.

 
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during our shoot, Jordan chose to play music from the artist Lissom.

It was beautiful experience to watch Jordan carry through movements as he felt them, in this space, with me. Thank you endlessly Jordan, for your company, openness and your willingness to share!