Performance and politics: the black modernity of Ismael Ivo

Abstract

Following is the interview with the dancer Ismael Ivo in 2017 at the Ballet headquarters of the City of São Paulo. A few months earlier, he had been sworn in as director of the institution, one of the most prestigious in the field of dance in the country. Since its founding in 1968, it has been the first time a black man has taken over. Of course the invitation to the prestigious position owes nothing to the fact that Ismael Ivo is black, his name is a hallmark in the field of dance.