Lauren Anderson, a Third Ward Houstonian, was the first African-American prima ballerina of the Houston Ballet, where she danced from 1983 to 2006, and one of the few African-American ballerinas at the head of a major ballet company anywhere in the world.
Her achievements have made her a role model for African-American girls all over the country and her performance of The Nutcracker 's Sugarplum Fairy made her one of the most beloved ballerinas in Houston.
In 2007, Anderson assumed her new role as head of Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement program, where she conducts master classes at area schools, and lectures to students on dance and her historic career.
During her interview with KPRC's Khambrel Marshall as part of KPRC's Black History Month series, Anderson shares her story of success, including fighting stereotypes of what a classical ballerina must look like, and the one role that helped her break that ceiling.