Claire Helen Haywood

Claire Helen Haywood (1916 – September 23, ) was an American ballet dancer and teacher, called a "grand dame of Black dance in Washington". She earned a BA from Spelman College in 1932 and an MA from Howard University in 1936. In 1941, she and Jones founded what became the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet, In 1974 Haywood told a reporter, "Much talent has been thrown away over the years because the opportunities just weren't there." Dutch National Ballet principal dancer Sylvester Campbell, choreographer Louis Johnson, and ballerina Sandra Fortune-Green. Haywood served as a teacher and then became co-director in 1950.

Haywood was also a visual artist, exhibiting in Atlanta and Martha's Vineyard as well as D.C.

Death Claire Helen Haywood died on September 23, 1978. She was 62.