Elena Carter Richardson (1948-2006).
Elena Carter Richardson Elena Carter Richardson (26 December 1948-4 February 2006) was an American ballerina and dance instructor.
Born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, she trained at the Academia de Ballet de Coyoacán, going on to be a principal dancer at Compania Nacional de Danza, and with died in Portland, OR last February. The Mexico City native and former Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem, the first black classical ballet company. The group was founded in Harlem, New York City, by Arthur Mitchell, then of the New York City Ballet, the first black principal dancer of a classical company of international standing. ballerina came to Portland in 1983 to teach at Jefferson High School Jefferson High School is the name of numerous high schools in the United States, most named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, including: - Jefferson High School (Colorado) in Edgewater, Colorado
and dance with Pacific Ballet Theatre (a precursor of Oregon Ballet Theatre Oregon Ballet Theatre is the premiere ballet company for the state of Oregon. The company is the result of the 1992 merging of Ballet Oregon and Pacific Ballet Theater. James Canfield, formerly a dancer with Joffrey Ballet as well as a principal dancer for Pacific Ballet Theater, ), for which she was a founding dancer. Classical roles were her forte (as a delicately loving Sugar Plum Fairy she made me cry) and her Emilia in The Moor's Pavane was extremely effective. A dedicated, influential teacher, she was still working at OBT'S School a few months before being felled by the cancer she fought gracefully for five and a half years. Arthur Mitchell called her an inspiration: "She was part of the foundation of Dance Theatre of Harlem and she will never be forgotten." Said OBT school director Damara Bennett, "When Elena taught, it wasn't just about technique. She wanted to see the fire in people's eyes."
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