The reasoning for this title is that dance has become more inclusive throughout the years. Dance has been extremely influenced by African culture, with this in mind black people were not included in being able to dance professionally. Now of days, we have witnessed dance being one of the most inclusive platforms. In this new era of dance, they strive on finding different cultures and ethnicities to cast. Therefore, the race of one does not hold back one career it can only grow the art form as a whole.

Modern dance is a wide genre of western concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing. Modern dance first arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Contemporary dance is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and it has grown to become one of the main genres for trained dancers throughout the world.

At first, it was very difficult for African Americans to be accepted in the ballet world. Many dancers such as Janet Collins, who was first African-American ballerina, faced a lot of rejection when it came to auditioning for a role or joining a dance company. Various ballet companies refused to allow her to take classes in the 1930's, so she hired a private teacher. She became the first black ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in 1951. Another dancer who faced difficulties as an African-American ballerina was Raven Wilkinson. She danced for and toured with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1950's. Raven Wilkinson was told to wear powder on stage to appear to have lighter skin. Both Raven and Janet faced many difficulties and prejudice during their lives and careers as ballerinas, but they persevered and worked hard for their success. Both women paved the way for aspiring dancers like Misty Copeland who Raven Wilkinson mentored.