Ballet dancer Raven Wilkinson

Oti Mabuse's Dancing Legends

Professional dancer and twice winner of Strictly Come Dancing, Oti Mabuse, continues her journey into the dancers and choreographers who have made a huge impact on dance. In this episode, Oti sits down with one of the most recognisable faces of modern ballet – Misty Copeland.

Misty became the first African American female Principal Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre company. She reflects on her inspiration, Raven Wilkinson, who danced fifty years before her during the time of the civil rights movement in America. Raven was a member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo company and routinely danced the waltz solo in Les Sylphides.

Misty and Oti explore Raven’s extraordinary story with archive clips and expert help from Dr Nya McCarthy Brown, Assistant Professor of Dance Pedagogy at Ohio State University.

Oti wants to capture Raven’s dancing style for herself, so she puts on ballet shoes and meets teacher Reena Bhattacharjee for a ballet tutorial.

Presenter: Oti Mabuse Producers: Emily Knight and Candace Wilson Production Team: Rema Mukena Editors: Kirsten Lass and Chris Ledgard A BBC Audio Bristol production for BBC Radio 4