Ingrid Silva

Ingrid Silva was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the age of 8, she began her ballet training at Dançando Para Não Dançar, a social project in the Mangueira slum.

Following High School, she moved to New York to attend the Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer, in 2007 on a full school scholarship. Soon after, she was invited to join the Dance Theatre Of Harlem Professional Training Program.

Ingrid was part of the Dance Theatre Of Harlem's Dancing Through Barries Ensemble in 2008, which led her the opportunity to join the Dance Theatre of Harlem as a professional in 2013. She is currently on her 7th season with the company.

She founded EmpowHer New York in 2017. A platform to create a safe environment for people to share their history in a judgment-free zone, encouraging dialogue in an empathetic term.

She’s also the Co Founder of Blacks in Ballet with the purpose of highlighting black ballet dancers and sharing their stories.

Silva has called for greater diversity in ballet. In an appearance on The Today Show, Silva noted that she has to color her pointe shoes, a process known as "pancaking", as most brands only provide light shade options. However, after 11 long years of painting her pointe shoes, she finally received a pair that match her skin tone. She considers it an achievement, a victory that is not only hers, but many black dancers, now and those who are on the way.

Check out her full biography on her personal page

ingridsilvaballet.com