VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Breaking barriers through dance
Anjana Dasam: Charles Haislah keeps people on their toes, not in anticipation, but as a ballet instructor
Dasam: Haislah grew up on the stage. Now, he teaches at the Community Folk Art Center – helping the next generation find their place in the spotlight.
Charles Haislah: I love watching my work, work. You teach a kid and you see them grow, you know. And there’s something fulfilling about watching your work, work.
Dasam: Haislah’s passion for ballet shines through his students, and for 12-year-old Arden Williams, these were the shoes she wanted to fill.
Arden Williams: As soon as I put these on, that’s when I realized, that ballet was my thing.
Dasam: Between classes, rehearsals, and performances, Williams’ days are filled with dancing. Her dad says that’s nothing new.
Gary Williams: Arden’s been dancing her whole life. I know that sounds cliché, but ever since she was a little toddler, she’d always be bopping around, dancing around.
Dasam: From dancing at home, to now perfecting her form in this studio, Williams’ hard work led her to center stage as Clara in the Nutcracker… becoming the first African American student to play a lead at the Syracuse City Ballet in more than twenty years. That fact still surprises her the most.
Arden: When Mr. Charles told me that, I was like “what”. Cause’ like Syracuse has been here for a while, and that’s kind of like surprising.
Dasam: And in a city with a significant Black population, Haislah says it’s time for the stage to reflect its audience.
Haislah: Whatever we present to kids, should be society as we see it. Ballet should look like the city it’s representing.
Dasam: Accross major U.S. ballet companies, only 3-12% of dancers are Black, showing the ongoing barriers African American face in art form rooted in European tradition.
Haislah: It’s not just a European art or an African American art. Art is art, you know? That’s what you’re here to do, to share your art.”
Dasam: Ballet is more than technique — it’s about building confidence and community- something Haislah hopes to inspire in his students. Williams is already taking that to heart.
Arden: Show young girls, of any ethnicity, that they can be anything that they want to, and that there’s no limits to anything that you dream of.
Dasam: With the right guidance.
Gary: She’s my world, ever since came into this world, we’ve been tight, joined at the hip. She’s a leader.
Dasam: Williams is well-quipped to work on her dream. Something she credits to her teacher and mentor, Mr. Charles.
Haislah: She’s finding her voice.
Dasam: While dancing on her toes. In Syracuse, Anjana Dasam, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Inside the Community Folk Art Center, ballet instructor Charles Haislah keeps his students on their toes — literally. The longtime performer grew up on the stage, and now he’s committed to helping the next generation find their own place in the spotlight.
“I love watching my work, work,” Haislah said. “You teach a kid, and you see them grow. There’s something fulfilling about that.”
One of those students is 12-year-old Arden Williams, whose passion for ballet began the moment she slipped on her first pair of pointe shoes.
“As soon as I put these on, that’s when I realized ballet was my thing,” Williams said.
Today, Williams’ life revolves around movement — classes, rehearsals, and constant practice. Her father says it’s been that way since she was a toddler.
“Ever since she was little, she’d always be dancing around,” Gary Williams said.
That early enthusiasm has transformed into something historic. Arden became the first African American girl in more than 20 years to dance as a lead role at Syracuse City Ballet, starring as Clara in “The Nutcracker.”
For Haislah, that milestone highlights something long overdue. In a city with a significant Black population, he believes ballet should reflect the community it serves.
“Whatever we present to kids should look like society,” Haislah said. “Ballet should look like the city it’s representing.”
Challenging ballet’s Eurocentric traditions isn’t always simple, but Haislah is intentional, from technique to the shade of his dancers’ tights and shoes.
“All my little girls wear cocoa tights and cocoa shoes,” Haislah said. “You want consistent lines. And you see them take more pride in it. She’s loving the skin she’s in.”
Williams is taking that to heart.
“I just want to make a difference in the ballet world,” she said. “I want young girls of any ethnicity to know there’s no limit to their dreams.”