Building Confidence with Brown Ballerina Ambassador Quincy Thomas
Quincy Thomas is a 13-year-old ballerina currently living in British Columbia, Canada. She started dancing when she was 2 years old, training in lyrical, tap, hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, musical theatre, stage dance, and pointe ballet. More recently, Quincy has been studying the syllabus for both the Royal Academy of Dance and the Imperial Society of Teachers Dancing.
Quincy also serves as a Brown Ballerina Ambassador, one of the many ballerinas who work to uphold the organization’s values in their dance communities. “Finding the Brown Girls Do Ballet Instagram page was so great for me, and then becoming an Ambassador was amazing,” she said. “I cried in happiness when I found that out.” In her interview below, Quincy describes a time when she did not feel comfortable in her own skin, and how she later gained self-confidence.
Related: Dreaming Big with Brown Ballerina Ambassador Alyssia Duda
Photo: Quincy Thomas; shot by Tilly Nelson
A Learning Experience
I remember feeling discouraged being the only girl of color in all of my classes. It wasn’t anything anyone did, because everyone was really nice. It was just the way I felt. I do remember a time when my arm was grabbed and put against another person in my class to compare our skin color. That didn’t make me feel good.
When I was younger, I went through a stage and was struggling being “different.” I didn’t want other people to watch me dance or notice that I was the only one with brown skin. One of my dance teachers noticed, and she took the time in class to acknowledge the different features each dancer had, and how that made us all beautiful and special.
Related: Pointe Black: A Conversation with Marie Astrid Mence on Racism and Bullying in the Dance Community
Lessons and Reflections
I learned that everyone has flaws, but your skin isn’t one of them, so own who you are. I used to think that I stood out, but not in a good way. I still am the only African-American girl in my classes, but I feel a lot more confident now and am loving my golden skin!
If I could go back and change anything about that time, I would have thought about all that I’ve accomplished and not let the slightest bit of doubt and hate overpower all the great things I have been able to do.
Applying the Lessons Today
I have learned to stop negatively comparing myself to others. I think I’m stronger and more confident as a dancer. My goal is to open a space for young diverse dancers to come and dance.
A Thought for Dancers
Keep your head high. Stand out. The best is yet to come!
Follow Quincy’s dance journey on Instagram.
Our Brown Ballerina Ambassador program is designed to create opportunities for young dancers in training to be seen as leaders and to eventually become mentors to other Brown Ballerinas in Training. To find out more about our ambassador program and how you can support it, visit our Ambassador/Mentorship Program page.
Be sure to check out our Brown Ballerina Blog, where we feature spotlights on our Brown Ballerina Ambassadors, updates from our organization, useful tips for ballerinas, interviews with dance professionals, and more!
Note: This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.