Meet Cortney T. Key
Cortney T. Key is a professional dancer, educator, and storyteller based in New York City. She has taught at world-renowned institutions including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Cortney believes that technique is only part of the journey; confidence, imagination, and cultural pride are just as important.
Her love for storytelling began at home, listening to her mother tell bedtime stories. Through her writing, Cortney invites children to see themselves not only inside the story; but as its author.
Author of Brown Sugar Plum
Creative Process
My creative process began with an honest acknowledgment that The Nutcracker, as it has traditionally been presented, carries racialized stereotypes that many of us have long recognized. While some conversations focus on renaming or softening those portrayals, I chose a different path: I reimagined each “country” as a fully personified character, rich with personality rather than caricature. Ultimately, my process was to take a familiar story, make it my own, and reshape it into an enchanting, inclusive world where any child can find themselves reflected.
Connection to Dance
Dance has been a constant in my life since I was 2½ years old. Before I had the language to fully express myself, I had movement. What began as a childhood joy became a lifelong discipline, a profession, and a calling. I have been dancing ever since; evolving, training, performing, and now teaching; but always moving.
Thankful for Support
I would first thank my mother, who filled my childhood with stories and gave me a love for rhythm, language, and imagination. I would thank my niece, Jade, who is the heart of this book and the reason I wanted to reimagine a traditional tale with a little Black girl at its center.
I am grateful to Arthur Mitchell for showing me that classical stories can be reshaped and reclaimed. I also thank the teachers and institutions that trained and challenged me — they strengthened both my discipline and my voice.
I thank my students, who remind me every day that ballet belongs to everyone.
And finally, I thank the little girl in me who started dancing at 2½ and never stopped believing she could create her own story.