NY Daily News: This Muslim dancer is raising the barre.
Sydney schoolgirl Stephanie Kurlow wants to become the first hijabi ballerina in the world - and to open a dance school for girls of all backgrounds to pirouette in her footsteps.
“Dancing is like flying for me. It makes me feel free,” the poised 14-year-old tells the Daily News.
5 comments:
“I believe [the hijab] covers my body, but not my mind, heart and talent,” -Stephanie Kurlow
I really like this quote of hers because it really sums up what she stands for and believes. Stephanie's story is really inspiring. It brings to light the problem that we not only have in theatre, but apparently is also present in dance. I had never really thought about the problem before but now it seems obvious. Stephanie sound like the person to help solve this problem! the way you look or your religious beliefs shouldn't hold you back from your dreams. It is nice to hear that her mother is also helping her in this dream of hers by starting her very own dance studio. I think that is a great first step towards creating a diverse dance environment. Hopefully, in the future girls will feel comfortable enough to be whoever they are and dance however they want to.
I love it! This is so important and I really hope she gets the crowd funding she needs to continue chasing her dream, as well as paving the way for all hijabi ballerinas. She cites Misty Copeland as one of her inspirations and it' was such a reminder It was not even 15 years ago when black girls were being turned away for having "the wrong body type." Now it is her people and her hijabi and once again we see a woman not backing down. They will always try something to keep their field as white as possible, but even when they refused to let Stephanie get her foot in the door, Stephanie just opened up her own Performing Arts studio. It is always impressive when people can create their own opportunities. I'm so proud Of her, and she too will be another inspiration of never letting anyone tell you dreams are impossible. This just shows how representation or lack of it can shape a child.
It is fantastic to see a young woman who is so amazingly strong and is standing up for what she believes in. Very few people have the courage, at any point in their lives, to fight for something they want, but society says they can't do. Stephanie is an amazing human. Ballet culture (an in similar ways, theatre culture) is still so closed off to ballerinas with "the wrong body type". As Jasmine mentioned, there are groundbreaking ballerinas of color, but they remain too few and too far between. The vast majority of dancers are tall, skinny, and very white. I'm overjoyed to see such a strong young woman take on this problem. Maybe soon we'll see a similar movement in the theater industry, both onstage and offstage. Diversity is a huge problem that needs to be addressed in our industry.
Good for her! It's so great to see someone pursuing their passion even though others might tell them they shouldn't. Perceptions of women who wear the hijab have been warped for years by people who are prejudiced, but over the past few years these women have been working to change that. The hijab shouldn't be viewed as oppressive, but rather as a liberating choice that women make. The dance world has been extremely closed off and closed minded for years, so challenging the idea of the "typical ballerina body" is more important now than ever. Misty Copeland is an awesome example of a woman who was successfully broke down walls in the world of ballet. The changes that have been made since she made it have been very significant, and I hope that Stephanie will be able to follow in her footsteps to show the dance world that they have once again been close-minded.
I rarely type things as "inspiring," finding that such a label can seem patronizing or trivializing. That being said, I find this young woman inspiring. To challenge both the intimidating classical dance establishment, which is slow to change, to say the least, and a plethora of religious and racial expectations is something I can't imagine doing, and I'm the so-called adult in this situation. In addition to standing up to social and religious backlash, Stephanie also is an accomplished ballerina, en pointe at 14, and taught by her mother, who I also have huge amounts of respect for.
It can't be easy to convert midlife, and lose the privilege that being anglo and christian/nonobservant in a country where that is the norm brings. For Stephanie's mother to go through that process, and then assist her child in doing the exact same is truly admirable. While I do not see myself converting to Islam in the near (or far) future, this article is a great reminder that there are those in the world who stand calmly up to bigotry, and manage do so with amazing grace, something I think we could all learn from.
Post a Comment