Ballerina of Color Finally Gets a Pointe Shoe That Matches Her Skin Tone | “I Can’t Tell You How Revolutionary This Is”
Robinson is incredibly excited as she explains how she feels after finally being able to own the ballet shoes that she always wanted.
Ballerina is a dance form that has been dominated by white dancers ever since the beginning of this genre. Kira Robinson is breaking those stereotypes. Unfortunately enough, when it comes to finding tutus or ballerina shoes in a nude shade, it's a task! Brands are becoming more inclusive with every passing day but there's still a long long way to go when it comes to catering to a broader spectrum. It is extremely rare, to date to find neutral-shade products for women of color. However recently, Robinson filmed herself opening up her first pair of nude pointe shoes in a color that matches her skin tone. She originally posted her video on TikTok upon which it went viral per The Independent.
Robinson is incredibly excited as she explains how she feels after finally being able to own the ballet shoes that she always wanted. She tells her viewers that she used to cover her ballet shoes in foundation just to make them match her skin tone as she unboxes the new Suffolk shoes.
She was invited by Good Morning America after her post went viral and how! She said that she has since received oceans of positive reviews and comments. "I received a lot of comments on my TikTok about how representation is super necessary in the dance world and how a lot of people don’t have that or see that often," she said. "Sometimes it’s frustrating and annoying, but it’s just how it is. The dance world is slow to accept [dancers of color], and I’ve just had to deal with it and do what I need to do to perform," she adds. "A lot of people were fed up with companies’ lack of effort in diversifying their brand and it has taken a long time to see that change. Many have signed and sent petitions to ballet brands to create more colors in their products, and Suffolk was one that heard our plea and started making those changes." she talked about the present scenario.
Robinson went on to post a video of herself dancing in the new pointe shoes after receiving very many requests to perform in the new pair of shoes. She said that diversity has become a greater priority than it used to be for her, especially after certain events, "I think we are seeing more diversity in products because of the Black Lives Matter movement," she said during her appearance on television. Many people took to the video on TikTok, one user commented "This is [the] first time I’ve seen points in shades other than pink or white." Another user wrote, "I’m so glad they finally do ballet shoes in more shades, it’s ridiculous it took so long! These look stunning."
The brand that designed the shoes is a relatively new business run by founders Mark and Keri Suffolk. Keri is a former dancer with a background in fashion. Mark on the other hand is a former engineer with over 30 years of industry experience. The shoe that Robinson picked out for herself will cost you around $110. You can order the same from the official website.
