Brown Girls Do Ballet's 2021 Summer Recap
Among the amazing things that Brown Girls Do Ballet does, we take extreme pride in creating opportunities for dancers of color while fostering a supportive community. Our organization is run by a small team that works hard to ensure ballerinas of all backgrounds have access to valuable resources, mentors, and supplies to nourish their dance journey.
Whenever we have the opportunity to reiterate what this organization is about, we try to take advantage. It’s important to us that our supporters understand the difference they make for the dance community. That’s why we created this Summer 2021 Recap to highlight the amazing moments, events, and updates that made our summer!
Brown Ballerina Blog Updates
On the Brown Ballerina Blog, dancers, their parents, and teachers can find a variety of articles covering topics including mental health, career growth, advice from industry professionals, and more. This summer, professional dancers Briana Stuart and Courtney Spears shared their experiences traveling abroad. Several articles explained why mentors are important to dancers. Lastly, some of our Brown Ballerina Ambassadors offered valuable advice for the college preparation process.
Brown Ballerina Road Trip
Founder TaKiyah Wallace spent her summer traveling to 10 different cities for the Brown Ballerina Roadtrip. In each city, TaKiyah was able to meet and connect with new dancers from different locations while shooting content for the annual calendar. This year’s turnout was larger than expected; one dancer even flew into Denver from San Francisco to be a part of the action! Sadly, the road trip was cut short due to a lack of funding. The annual calendar sale is just one of the many ways the organization raises money to support the Brown Ballerina Road Trip, scholarships, and other resources for dancers. This year’s calendar will release in our shop this upcoming November.
Giving Day
On August 28th, Brown Girls Do Ballet participated in Give 8/28, an annual fundraising cause created by the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute (YBGB) to help raise donations for Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits. The $6,566 raised this year will support the Pointe Shoe Program, which helps offset one of the significant costs associated with purchasing pointe shoes. Another opportunity to donate is during North Texas Giving Day on September 23rd.
Scholarship Awardees
The winners of this year’s Brown Girls Do Inc College Scholarship were announced last week. The scholarship is awarded to full-time college undergraduate students across any field of study. Applicants aren’t required to be dancers, and priority is given to first-generation college students who demonstrate financial need. This year’s winners were students Kylah H. from New Boston, TX and Nessaja S. from Pearland, TX.
This eventful summer would not have been possible without our amazing network of support, including dancers, parents, and donors. Thank you for your help, encouraging efforts, and continuous generosity!