Gloria Estefan, L.L. Cool J, and Lionel Richie were among the more well-known recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, which aired Tuesday night—but please don’t sleep on Carmen de Lavallade, a groundbreaking and extremely talented dancer who finally got her well-deserved due.
La Vallade followed in the footsteps of her cousin, Janet Collins, one of the few first black classically trained ballerinas. Collins eventually went on to become a prima ballerina at the New York Metropolitan Opera and la Vallade studied with Lester Horton, a pioneer of modern dance in Los Angeles who established the country’s first racially integrated dance company. Eventually la Vallade made her way to New York, taking her good friend Alvin Ailey with her. He ended up creating his own company and la Vallade enjoyed a career that included Broadway, television, and movies.