New York City Ballet casts Charlotte Nebres as first black Marie in 'The Nutcracker'

iStock/ChoreographAt the tender age of eleven, Charlotte Nebres is already making history. According to The New York Times, Nerbres has become the first black ballerina to be cast in the lead role of Marie in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, which opened Friday at the New York City Ballet. The coveted role of Marie, a character which in other productions has been named Clara, dates back to 1954. Nebres says she was inspired by another history-making ballerina, Misty Copeland, who became the first female African-American principal dancer at American Ballet Theater when Nebres was only six years old. “I saw her perform and she was just so inspiring and so