Ballerina’s emotional reaction to finally getting pointe shoes that match her skin tone goes viral
Kira Robinson’s video has been watched over a million times
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Your support makes all the difference.Black ballerina Kira Robinson’s reaction to finally getting pointe shoes that match her skin tone has gone viral.
Last month, the 18-year-old ballet student filmed herself unboxing a pair of brown pointe shoes and shared the video with her 86,000 followers on TikTok.
The video, in which the teenager beams as she explains how excited she is to finally have ballet shoes that match her skin tone, has now been watched 1.4million times.
In the clip, Robinson tells her followers how she previously had to cover her pointe shoes in foundation to make them match her skin tone.
She unboxes her new Suffolk shoes on camera, which will replace the pink ones she previously had to use.
Robinson, a freshman ballet major at the University of Oklahoma, told Good Morning America she’s been inundated with positive feedback after posting the video.
“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.
@kiraelon YAYAYAY i’ll show you guys how they look on later #fyp #CleanTok #blackballerina #blackgirl #dancer #pointe #pointeshoes #suffolk #VisionBoard #dance
♬ original sound - kira <3
“Sometimes it’s frustrating and annoying, but it’s just how it is,” she continued.
“The dance world is slow to accept POC (person of colour) dancers, and I’ve just had to deal with it and do what I need to do to perform.”
In response to a request from one of her followers, Robinson later posted a follow-up video of her performing in her new shoes.
@kiraelon Reply to @jess.yung since everyone wanted me to put them on here’s some clips of me breaking them in!! #fyp #pointeshoes #blackballerina #ballet
♬ Jake25.17 sound - 🦋Olivia🦋
One TikTok user commented: “This is [the] first time I’ve seen points in shades other than pink or white.”
Another wrote: “I’m so glad they finally do ballet shoes in more shades, it’s ridiculous it took so long!! These look stunning”.
“I think we are seeing more diversity in products because of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Robinson said during her television appearance.
“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.”
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