We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Waverly Lucas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Waverly, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful and important project that I worked on and created was and is The Leopard Tale. As the signature full-length African ballet it tells a vibrant and vivid story of mankind’s coexistence with nature and wildlife. This story is full of symbolism and realism while also providing a fascinating and unique visual experience for the viewer, and a unique performance experience for the artists.
I created Act II of The Leopard Tale first, telling the story of a stubborn leopard invading an African village. The story precedes to show the danger and challenging positions that this places on the villagers. Ultimately, the warriors must protect their village and solve the dilemma of the leopard’s quest for territorial dominance.
Initially I considered hunting the leopard but felt compelled to accept that the leopard was responding to mankind’s relentless demands for land that was the habitat of the leopard. Creatively, I decided to return the leopard to his domain after a brutal and cunning battle between the beast and the warriors. The story became a sincere plea to conserve our land and the species that inhabit it.
However, I was not done! I believed that it was necessary to tell the story of the leopard and the other animals of the animal kingdom both predators and prey. This is when I added Act I and the audience would get a full and more detailed account of the leopard’s tale.
Each year Ballethnic Dance Company travels to Raleigh, North Carolina and performs excerpts of The Leopard Tale with our lecture demonstrations for schools K-12 called Meet the Animals of The Leopard Tale where we share the information, care about the students learning inspiring stories and motivate them to think creatively and innovatively.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Celebrating Cultural Heritage Through Dance: The Journey of Ballethnic Dance Company

As the co-founder of Ballethnic Dance Company, alongside my wife, Nena Gilreath—the only female founder among the three professional Black ballet companies—I understand the importance of authenticity in our mission. Sharing the stage with esteemed organizations like Dance Theatre of Harlem and Collage Dance Collective, we are committed to distinguishing Ballethnic through our unique approach.

While all three companies are rooted in classical ballet, Ballethnic stands out for its innovative blend of ballet and African dance concepts, elegantly showcased “Sur La Pointe.” In contrast, Dance Theatre of Harlem emphasizes the narrative that Black artists can thrive in the classical ballet realm, while Collage Dance Collective focuses on storytelling through contemporary ballet.

As I reflect on our journey, I am eager to foster more opportunities for each of these organizations. Our communities often lack the resources necessary to sustain culturally specific organizations that inspire and motivate our youth. By sharing our stories and experiences, we can amplify our global significance when these resources are made available.

My passion for dance deepened during my Master’s in Ethnochoreology studies at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, in Ireland. Completed during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This experience ignited my fascination not just with dance, but also with creating percussion music to complement choreography. Under the mentorship of John Bowker, Ireland’s leading drum circle facilitator, I regained a love for outreach through drumming and dance, believing that these art forms can address pressing social issues.

At Ballethnic, we have embraced this vision by launching “Events on Ballethnic Way,” a series of community activities held on our newly named street, which was formerly Cheney Street. Our building proudly displays one of East Point, Georgia’s most beautiful murals, visible from Norman Berry Avenue.

As we prepare to welcome the world for the International Association of Blacks in Dance this February and the FIFA World Cup in June-July, Ballethnic is poised to play a vital role in showcasing the artistic spirit and cultural heritage of our Metropolitan Atlanta community. Our commitment to celebrating and sharing our unique identity continues to inspire, uplift, and connect us all.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was very fortunate to dance into my early 50’s. Unfortunately, I would suffer a ruptured Achilles tendon that would result in postoperative infections that would require 4 skin grafts. This injury and illness would result in me wearing a wound vac and depending on the use of a rollator and crutches to move around.
At this time I had made a commitment to the Aurora Theater and Theatrical Outfit to choreograph the musical Memphis. I’m sure they would have understood if I backed out of the commitment but I value keeping your word and commitments.
Fortunately, years earlier as a member of Dance Theatre of Harlem I worked with the legendary choreographer Agnes DeMille who taught us the choreography and ideology of the ballet Billy the Kid while in a wheelchair with the minimal use of her limbs. She shared stories with use and used descriptive imagery and written images and grafts to illustrate the patterns we should move.
I would pull from this experience in creating and conveying choreographic material. I would use my hands and arms to demonstrate footwork. Written material to illustrate movement patterns. And vivid descriptions to help convey style and emotion. Ironically, I was nominated for a Suzi Bass Award for choreography for my work with the Aurora Theater and Theatrical Outfit.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the ability to tell stories, share experiences, and motivate communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ballethnic.org
• Instagram: @danseurlucas
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GZAgctJ1E/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits

Keiko Guest, Wendy Phillips, SIRK Photography,