November 12, 2025
Destiny Johnson as Mary in Black Girl Dance’s production of Mary, A Holiday Dansical. Photo by Jordyn A. Bush.
Stories this photo appears in:
Black Girls Dance Trains And Supports Dancers Of Color
Erin Barnett became enamored with dance the first time she watched Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in “White Christmas” and saw Rogers dancing in a ball gown with diamonds, looking graceful. She knew she wanted to become a dancer. Her mother found Mayfair Academy on the city’s South Side, and she started taking classes there at 6-years-old.