Race, Equity, Dance - February 2, 2026

Please join Messy Conversations’

Clarence R. Williams in discussion with legendary dancer choreographers,

Eartha Robinson & Shirley Black Brown Coward

as they explore 21st-century reality in the Dance world.

Are black dancers still being shut out of Ballet?

Are BIPOC institutions being supported equitable?

Guest Bios

Eartha Robinson has established herself as a “veteran” in the Entertainment

Industry, having worked alongside some of the most celebrated and innovative

Choreographers and Directors of our time, including: George Faison, Michael

Peters, Debbie Allen, Otis Salid, Walter Painter, Lester Wilson, Spike Lee,

Norman Jewison, Wes Craven, Gary Marshall and many others.

Raised in Harlem, Eartha was accepted into the “famed” Performing Arts High

School (P.A.) in NYC, and whilst attending received numerous scholarships and

contract offers from dance luminaries such as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey,

Donald McKayle, Dianne McIntyre and Bernice Johnson. She made her

Broadway debut at age 16 in THE WIZ, starring Stephanie Mills and thus began

her career.

After relocating from New York to Los Angeles to join the original cast of the

television series FAME, Ms. Robinson has worked as a Dancer, Actress and a

dance double in over 100 films, television shows, commercials, specials,

documentaries and filmed stage shows. Her credits as a performer and member

of the Creative Team include: FAME, GREY’S ANATOMY, A DIFFERENT

WORLD, SCHOOL DAZE, DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, STOMPIN’ AT THE

SAVOY, MALCOLM X, 10 x ACADEMY AWARDS shows, 6 x GRAMMY

AWARDS shows, the TEEN CHOICE AWARDS, NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, the

ESSENCE AWARDS, etc. More recently, the T.V. Series BONES and the Award

Winning Movie, La La Land.

Ms. Robinson has been Creative Director and Choreographer for internationally

renowned recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind and Fire,

Chicago, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Jill Scott (including the 2014 Academy

Awards Gala Concert), Kirk Franklin, Color me Bad, Karen White and many

others. Likewise, the list of “Award Winning” leading actors she has worked with

includes Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett,

Cuba Gooding Jr., Gerard Depardieu, Laurence Fishburne, and Giovanni Ribisi.

Recent Stage Credits include FREEZE FRAME, a Debbie Allen original Musical

presented at the Brisbane Arts Festival, Aus., the Annenberg Theatre in Beverly

Hills and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Shirley Black Brown Coward Bio

Broadway Credits: The Wiz, Coming Up Town, Leader Of The Pack and

Porgy and Bess. As an actress Ms Black Brown Coward has been featured on

the Cosby Show and in films such as the Wiz, Cotton Club, The Fighting

Temptations and Polly 1 and Polly 2.

Music Videos:

Miss Black Brown Coward has been featured in music videos by Diana

Ross- Pieces of Ice, Jermaine Jackson- Dynamite, Pat Benatar- Love Is A

Battlefield with choreography by Micheal Peters, and Cameo- Back and

Forth with choreography by George Faison.

Performance Experience:

Miss Black Brown Coward has danced with The George Faison Universal

Dance Experience , Otis Sallide, New Arts Ensemble , Kazuko Hirabayashi

Dance Company, The Milton Meyers Dance Company and with Jamel Gaines

Dance Theatre of Brooklyn.

Teaching Career:

Miss Black Brown Coward teaches Graham technique and is a technical body

alignment coach.She is known for training movers to understand the anatomy

of the body and creating effortless movement while dancing or exercising.

Miss Black Brown Coward has taught at the Center For Modern Dance and

Education, Bernie Johnson Dance Studio, Jamel Gaines Dance Theatre of

Brooklyn and numerous schools and studios in NYC, through the United

States and abroad. Most recently Miss Black Brown has taught at The

International Association in Black Dance (IABD) 2023/2024.