Francesca Harper recently made her New York City debut as the artistic director at Alvin Ailey II.
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Harper is following in the footsteps of her late mother, Denise Jefferson. Her mother directed the Ailey school for roughly 26 years.
When Jefferson was a child dreaming of becoming a ballerina, a teacher pointed out that there were none of color, and she quit.
She would later return to dance, but that story stuck with Harper.
"While I was studying at Ailey it was living in the back of my mind, like hmmm, what would this mean to kind of be a trailblazer in the ballet world," Harper said.
She would go on to join the Frankfurt ballet.
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Now in her new role, Harper cherishes guiding people like Breana Thompson who gave some advice for younger dancers.
"Be open to no's, I've heard that a lot in my career, I'm just super open, super blessed," Thompson said.
Harper will pay tribute to her mother and showcase a mix of new material in her upcoming performances including Robert Battle's work "Searchlight."
"We have that Ailey honoring of the soulful nature, but sometimes a little bit of an edge that makes you a little uncomfortable here, let me find my way," Harper said.