Brown Ballerina Ambassador Evangelina Brunt on Body Image Confidence and the Path to Purpose
Evangelina Brunt is a 13-year-old ballerina from Oklahoma City, OK. She started dancing at age 3 when she took a ballet class at the YMCA. Since then, Evangelina has studied pointe, lyrical/contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, and tumbling/acro. She has been representing her current studio, A Step Above School of Dance, in dance competitions for the past 5 years.
Today, she is studying the Cecchetti ballet method and is a dance major in her performing arts school. She is also a Brown Ballerina Ambassador. In her interview below, Evangelina discusses body image confidence, the impact of dancing with purpose, and how her involvements are leading her to fulfill hers.
Related: Brown Ballerina Ambassador Nyla Aikens Discusses the Power of Being Surrounded by Talent
Photo: Evangelina Brunt; shot by Chris Williams
Evangelina’s Inspiration
My mom was the one who signed me up for dance classes at a studio called Dynamic Dance in Indiana, just as a fun thing for me to do. As I got older, I started to appreciate ballet a lot more.
I watched the Nutcracker Ballet at least 100 times when I was little. I always wanted to dance like them, so when I moved to Oklahoma, I decided I wanted to keep dancing. Today, there are more people who inspire me to dance: my dance teachers, my friends, my family, and Misty Copeland, who has always been an inspiration for me.
Purpose
As I get older and more mature, I’ve had to become more comfortable with my body. It’s always been a part of me that I’ve struggled with. It wasn’t my body itself that bothered me, it was the fact that I didn’t fit society's standard of a “ballet body” with my curves and tummy.
I’ve lately gotten so much more comfortable and confident with my body. One of my purposes for dancing is to show people that it doesn’t matter how you look; regardless of your body or your skin tone, you can still be a strong and beautiful dancer!
Fulfilling Her Purpose
I think making the choice to apply to attend my performing arts school is one important stride I have made to fulfill my purpose. The school's dance department has amazing and engaging teachers that have helped me learn so much more about dance, beyond just movement.
We are given opportunities to audition for dance showcases and festivals. This has helped me become more confident. Being picked to perform for the public gives me a chance to show that ballerinas can look like me and succeed in auditions. I am so grateful to have these opportunities. I really enjoy what I do and I’m pushing myself and getting better every day!
The Importance of Purpose
Having a purpose in life gives you a reason to do something you love. It gives you a reason to wake up every morning excited to do what you enjoy. Your purpose is so important to follow so you can make the major decisions in life that are best for you. It's really nice when you know your purpose because you then have a view of what you want for your future. You can think about what you can do in the present to prepare to fulfil that purpose.
A Thought for Dancers
Don’t stop doing what you’re doing because someone tries to keep you from it or doesn’t support you. If you believe you’re following your purpose don’t let someone throw you off and keep you from doing that thing you love. Also, find people who are doing what you want to do in life and get advice from them. Always keep learning and growing!
Follow Evangelina’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.