Lorraine Graves, a ballerina known for her willowy frame and majestic grace who starred as a principal dancer for the groundbreaking Dance Theater of Harlem for nearly two decades, died on March 21 in Norfolk, Va. She was 66.
Her nephew Jason Graves said the cause of her death, in a hospital, was yet to be determined.
For a female dancer, “five foot four, five foot six is considered tall,” Virginia Johnson, a former principal dancer and artistic director for the Dance Theater of Harlem, said in an interview.
“Because once you get on pointe, you’re adding another six inches to your height, and so having a partner who’s tall enough to partner you is an issue.”Fortunately, the company had plenty of tall male dancers.
That allowed Ms. Graves an opportunity to leverage her unique physicality, which over the course of her career she showed off in performances around the world, including before world leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson Mandela.
Persons:
Lorraine Graves, Jason Graves, Graves, Virginia Johnson, ”, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela
Organizations:
of Harlem, Dance Theater of Harlem
Locations:
Norfolk, Va
![Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Head_Shot.Jpeg](/find/mix/0?q="Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Head_Shot.Jpeg"){kind=link}