“Artist Allyship: What Type of Ally are You?”

Artist Allyship Part 1: What Type of Ally are You?

In a world full of Buzzfeed, Nametests, and Reddit quizzes and self-evaluations, it is only fitting

that we are obsessed with defining “Who am I.” Everywhere you look, you can find resources, both

credible and cheeky, that can give us an answer to any situation, no matter how realistic, fictitious, or

absurd it may be. (Seriously, do we really need to know what kind of breed of dog we would be- or how

we would look as a doll?). If we can pass the time letting a computer algorithm determine which

Disney character we resemble, or when we will meet our future spouse, or even what our tombstone

will read, then we can, and MUST, allocate the time to determine, “What type of ally am I?”

Granted, discovering your ally type is not as provocative as your Greek god alter ego or an aura

color, but it is definitely more relevant, don’t you think? Allyship is the new hot topic on the tips of

many Americans’ tongues. In the past two weeks alone, American society has been thrown into social

outrage in response to the senseless, brutal, and unwarranted acts of police brutality and violence

against Black men and women. Sparked by the inhumane killing of George Floyd by four white

Minneapolis policemen, many citizens and sectors of America have rallied to show their support for the

Black and BIPOC (BIPOC= Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities. Since May 25th, 2020,

there have been hundreds of protests, rallies, petitions, blackouts, fundraisers, and calls to actions not

only in the US, but around the world. In the workplace and board room, the fight against injustice

continues through organizations denouncing the use of hateful and racist paraphernalia, traditionally

white fields announcing new hires of diversity, statements of inclusion posted on social media, and

seeing a board member resign to give up his seat to a person of color. Admittedly, while my heart is

elated to see such immediate acts of change for racial equality, I cannot help but wonder if these acts

are merely performative, lacking the substance for influential long term change in the fight against

injustice.

Performative allyship is a term used in diversity, equity, and inclusion work to define actions

and rhetoric about a particular cause that satisfies the person’s ego. In other words, this person is

engaging in activities that make them feel better about their role in the fight against injustice, but is

not sufficient enough to have a lasting impact. Unfortunately, I have seen too many of my non-BIPOC

friends, coworkers, and dancer colleagues congratulating themselves, and others, on performative

allyship. These superficial, but well meaning acts of solidarity, range from posting #BlackOutTuesday

to making statements of solidarity, to expanding skin tone merchandise to include darker shades of

color. Sadly, as the days continue, the enthusiasm that motivated these acts has begun to wane in

meaning and prevalence.

So what can we do as dancers, as artists, to keep moving forward in the fight against injustice?

For starters, we can identify what type of ally we are. By having a clearer understanding of who we are

and what kind of impact we want to make, then we can truly make a difference in the BIPOC

community through our actions and behaviors. I have observed most of my non-BIPOC dancer friends

and colleagues fall into the 4 categories below: The Performer, The Patron, The Protégé, & The

Pirate.

The Performer: This person is someone who carries out an action in a formal manner according to a

prescribed ritual. In other words, this would be a dancer who is often touted as the “face” of your

studio and has won numerous trophies and accolades. They are seen as someone with extraordinary

talent, but in reality, does not want to be identified by the dance world. While they care about dancing, they do not

want to be involved beyond what is required of them. In the world of allyship, this person does all of the right

“performative” actions. They post the appropriate hashtag, they text

the few Black friends that they have, and they even seek some resources to help them “learn more.”

In the end, however, the Performer Ally is only on stage for the actual performance, and usually cannot

be found once the show is over.

The Patron: This type of ally uses wealth or influence to help an individual, institution, or cause. In the

Arts world, this can be the Executive Director, the principle dancer of a company, board members or

the programming curator. A person with such power and prestige has the opportunity to usher in an

era of change through radical programming, new policies on hiring, and diversifying the organization’s

outreach and audience. However, the pressure to maintain the status quo so as to represent all of

their constituents may persuade this Patron to be more general in their approach. They may lean

towards an “All Lives Matter” stance in efforts to not lose clout in the eyes of others. They also may

hold out on making any systemic changes unless they are pushed heavily by their constituents.

Without the Patron’s willingness to join the fight against injustice, and to stay committed in spite of

backlash, side-eyes, or potential boycotts, transformational influence will be difficult to achieve. Yes,

the grassroots movement has the loudest voice and number of participants. But it is the arts

administrators who hold the power to dismantle systemic injustice and provide solutions for equality.

The Protégé: The illustrious Protégé is someone who is trained in or whose career is furthered by a

person of experience, prominence, or influence. They have the most clear path for influential and

researched informed allyship, if they were to use their knowledge and experience for the greater good,

rather than for their own personal prominence. Mentored by a legend in the field, this dancer does

more observing, training, and learning at first. Working behind the scenes, they assist with the

happenings on the main stage, rather than exercising a leading role. Eventually, this Protégé is

expected to go off on their own in hopes of continuing the legacy and accomplishments of their

predecessors. If given the right opportunity, the Protégé ally will be able to use the skills that were

acquired for the greater good.

The Pirate: A pirate is someone who commits piracy, or appropriates something without

authorization. You can liken this to someone who comes into a dance training program, takes 5 classes

and then brands oneself a beginner level teacher. A more prevalent analogy would be someone who

learns hip-hop dance technique, only to use it to gain personal clout and recognition (primarily online),

but does not study or familiarize themselves with anything related to the history of Hip Hop culture. A

pirate’s main objective, whether known or unknown, is to take the most valuable, transformative, and

influential content of a subject without giving proper credit. These are teachers, students, and

professors who do not publicly acknowledge BIPOC dancers, choreographers, companies, and such

through their lack of inclusivity clauses and policies. These dancing pirates are more likely to take

advantage of the Protégés because of their seemingly vast amount of surface knowledge.

“Well isn’t it obvious what kind of ally I am? I have Black friends. My partner is Black. I’ve always

respected the Black community. I’m a hip hop teacher. I don’t know much but I want to keep learning.

I’m trying my best to do what I can- be lenient with me. How can I do better? Do you have any

resources that can help me? Should I hire more Black teachers? I really want to use flesh tone tights.

As a tap teacher, do I need to know about Black dance?” Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah.

For 2 weeks my ear drums have been inundated with this type of white guilt (disguised as

allyship). It is as if there is a wave of performative allyship actions that are not being addressed with a

clear conscience and deep understanding of self. In order to truly recognize what type of ally you are

or can be in the fight against racial injustice, you must search yourself without bias. Psalm 139:23-24

reads:

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

Whether you consider yourself to be a spiritual person or not, this outcry applies to all of us. In

essence the passage says, “Let me be open to being searched- my heart, my thoughts, and my actions.

And if I find wickedness, wrongdoing, or offensive ways within me, let me be led to change so my

impact can be sufficient and long lasting.” So friends of the artist and dance community, I pose this

question to you: “What type of Artist Ally are you?”

~Miss Ashlee

@missashleedance (IG and Twitter )