Anne Raven Wilkinson (February 2, 1935 – December 17, 2018) was an American dancer who is credited with having been the first African-American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company.

Wilkinson broke the color barrier in 1955 when she signed a contract to dance full-time with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

[3] Wilkinson's first teachers included well-known dancers from Russia's Bolshoi Theatre, Maria and Vecheslav Swoboda.

[3][5] Sergei Denham, director of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, bought the Swoboda School in 1951, giving Wilkinson an opportunity to audition for the troupe.

Wilkinson advanced to the position of soloists in her second season with Ballet Russe and remained with the group for six years.

[7] Her repertoire also included roles in Ballet Imperial, Le Beau Danube, Capriccio Espagnol, Gaîté Parisienne, Giselle, Graduation Ball, Harlequinade, Swan Lake, and Variations Classiques.

Because there were many foreign dancers in the company, including a number of South Americans, her skin color was not an issue.

"[8] As word of Wilkinson's racial identity spread, discrimination became increasingly problematic in both her personal and professional life.

Exhausted by years of discrimination, as well as the belief that the financially stressed troupe had become old-fashioned, Wilkinson left the company in 1961.

Then, because she had always been attracted to the spiritual life, she joined an Anglican convent in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

In the mid-1960s, Sylvester Campbell, an African-American principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet, suggested Wilkinson approach that company.

She performed in Les Sylphides, The Firebird, Serenade, Giselle, Mozartiana, Concerto Barocco, Swan Lake, Symphony in C, La Valse, The Snow Maiden and Graduation Ball.