Brown Ballerina Advice: Briana Stuart on Living Abroad, Entrepreneurship, and Sharing Black Culture through Stepping
Black culture is celebrated and spread through storytelling and connection. In honor of Black History Month, we launched our Brown Ballerina Advice Series, where we feature experienced dancers of color from various backgrounds and industries. In each interview, dancers will offer their wisdom and insight on dance-related topics ranging from career journeys, traveling, motivation, health, and more.
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This week, our featured dancer is Briana Stuart, a freelance dancer and the founder of STU Dance Center in Brussels - where she’s been living for almost 4 years. Briana discussed her experiences of moving and living overseas, becoming a small business owner, and sharing Black culture through the art of stepping.
Photo: Briana Stuart at KVS Brussels, by Karolina Maruszak
Sharing Culture
For two seasons, Briana danced full-time with Step Afrika!, a professional dance company that specializes in the percussive dance style of stepping. A few years prior, Briana had already embraced stepping at the University of Michigan with her fellow sorority sisters of Zeta Phi Beta National Sorority, Inc. Briana now teaches and performs stepping as a way to spread African American culture in Belgium.
Q: What led you to the art stepping as a dance form?
A: Oftentimes, when people think of stepping, they really just leave it in its cultural setting: yard shows, step shows, and performances. Step Afrika! is really amazing at using stepping and piecing out all those important qualities or all those things that stepping really has to offer audiences, and then creating an entire company surrounding it. I did a lot of community outreach. I performed at festivals internationally, at colleges, and at universities. The biggest thing that they really preached is using stepping as a means of education, as well as connectedness and empowerment with children. I thought that stepping was always something I just did with my sorority, so that really opened my mind.
Since moving to Brussels, I leaned into that even more. Being a Black female American in Belgium, I’m literally so unique. Leaning into my identity, I was just like, ‘I want to bring my culture here. I want to share this part of me here,’ which led to me doing a lot of stepping solos and holding workshops. I’m actually working on a stepping show for kids. Moving abroad as a person of color, I really had to lean into what makes me unique, and instead of shying away from it, I’m creating space for myself here by sharing who I am with the audiences around me here in Belgium.
Moving and Living Overseas
Through her travels and experiences with Step Afrika!, Briana was inspired to continue traveling around the world. She sold all of her belongings and spent the next six months traveling through Europe. Soon afterward, she moved to Belgium, where she plans to spend the rest of her life.
Q: What made you decide to move to Brussels?
A: Throughout that 6-month trip, I kind of went where the wind took me. I was discovering different cities, meeting different dancers, seeing shows, taking classes - it was like the ultimate dancer’s EuroTrip. By the end of that six months, I kind of ran out of money and I came back to the States. Because I had sold everything and I didn’t really have a job, I was kind of starting from scratch, so then it was actually a moment for me to restart. The question that I asked myself is, ‘Where is the last place I was actually happiest?’
After going on this amazing trip around the world, I literally said ‘Oh! Brussels.’
I worked in D.C. again as a freelance dancer for about a year and a half, and my goal that entire year and a half was getting myself to Brussels. Brussels was one of the cities that stuck out to me on my trip because the lifestyle was great. I really felt that I could build a life for myself, not just based on my career. I love to travel, and Belgium is located in such an amazing spot in Europe where I can pretty much get anywhere. I met tons of people too. The people here were so nice. I met tons of dancers. It’s the European capital, as well as the European capital of contemporary dance, so you can find so many shows and artists. It just felt right in that sense.
Ever since I’ve moved, it’s been an amazing, yet challenging experience. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I wouldn’t change anything about it.
Q: Do you have any other advice for dancers who are preparing or adjusting to a big move like that?
A: The biggest thing when it comes to taking any big step or taking a risk to do something is that you can’t just live in your own bubble. Even though I tell my story to people about how I did this and that, the people behind me that made all of this happen, I just want to give them roses. I was never afraid to ask a question.
For example, when I did my first trip through Europe, I was taking classes everywhere - contemporary, ballet, all the things. I literally made a point that at the end of every class I would go ‘She looks nice, I’m going to talk to her after class.’ You know dancers, we stretch, we stay around, we touch our toes. It’s the perfect time to just say, ‘Hey, my name is Briana, I’m American, I’m traveling around the world, where are you from? You looked really good in class.’
I just put myself out there. I met people, I made connections. I was never afraid to continue to take risks. And that’s the thing about taking one risk, is that you’ll find that you probably have to take a lot more after that. But you’ve made that one big one, and you can go, okay well if I did that, I can talk to this person after dance class. It’s fine.
Another thing - networking and talking to people is very important. When I was applying for my visa, I literally told everyone, ‘I’m trying to move to Belgium, do you know anybody from there? Do you know anybody that’s done it?’ I ended up in Amsterdam, and it turns out my ballet dance professor from U of M’s nephew was a principal dancer for the national dutch ballet. I emailed him and now we’re really cool friends actually.
Talk to people and ask questions. There is no stupid question at all. If you’re willing to ask the question, I feel like there are people waiting for people to ask the questions if they have the answer. If that person doesn’t know, they can take you to someone else that might know. I’d say baseline career advice when it comes to being a dancer - especially because it’s hard enough being a dancer - is to ask those questions. Have an idea of what you want. It’s through those questions and talking to other people and experiences that you can define the kind of life you want to create for yourself.
Q: Once you got to Brussels, did you already have a dancing gig set up?
A: I think that’s the funniest part. When I turned in my visa application, which is pretty much an artist’s portfolio - it was budgets, a business plan, pictures, program reviews, letters of support from organizations in the States and Belgium - there wasn’t anything that said ‘Oh yeah when she moves she’s gonna be booked.’
I put everything together and I said, ‘I know what I’m doing, and I have experience, and people have paid me for this. I’m different and unique and can bring something different to your country.’
So when I moved I had to hit the ground running. Those connections I made 2 years prior, I pretty much just followed up with all of them. You don’t know how many coffees I got when I first moved. Once again it was that continuous networking, and any idea I had, I just went for it.
Becoming a Small Business Owner
Briana graduated from the University of Michigan in 2013 with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Sociology. Today, she owns a small dance company in Brussels called STU Arts Dance, which she founded 3.5 years ago.
Q: Do you feel like your sociology degree somehow plays a role in your dance career today?
A: The interesting thing is that sociology is pretty much the study of people in groups, typically, and how they function. For me, especially at U of M, going to a predominantly white college and only having like 4% of the population being Black, I not only experienced sociology in school but actually in my everyday life - you know, noticing the identities and how they interact around me. Since having those experiences, I’ve noticed that me diving into my own identity personally as well as in classes kind of informed some of the artistic choices that I made, some of the pieces I created, how I view myself on stage, or how I view works as well.
Even now, because I’m really interested in dance in the community, I think there's a very strong link between sociology and dance. I feel like in a way, I’ve always been interested in groups of people in communities and how they work, the things that aren’t so good, and the things that are really great, because I think that just tells a lot about who we are as people. I think that kind of flows into the work that I do and the goals that I have in my dance career.
Q: Tell us more about STU Arts Dance!
A: STU Arts Dance was created out of a way of kind of reconciling everything I’m interested in as a dancer. I love teaching. I love performances. I like working with kids and adults. STU Arts Dance was created out of the idea that you can experience dance in different ways.
I’m really hoping STU Arts can grow in a way that really passes on the strong community aspect of dance that I really love and appreciate. There’s the idea of really keeping dance as a community-based form. Sometimes dance can kind of lose that aspect because it gets competitive. I think it’s important to maintain the connectivity that dance has to offer. And that’s pretty much what STU Arts is about. You see things, you understand it, and from there we connect through all of these different ways of making dance matter and have an impact on people’s lives.
Related: Far Beyond Dance: Interview with Transformación Ballet founder Christine Tjahjadi-Lopez
Q: What lessons did you learn about becoming a small business owner?
A: It’s really required me to take a shift from being a freelancer to being an entrepreneur. I have to approach things from an entrepreneurial mindset, recognizing my value and my worth. I really had to think about whenever I spend money on STU Arts as an investment. The money mindset shift had to change. For dancers, knowing your worth and demanding it can also be difficult because we’re already fighting negative stereotypes of what it means to be a dancer.
I’m actually working on a project called Creative Living for Dancers. I’m really trying to push the idea of having a whole dancer. We’re just not our arms and our legs when you book us for anything. When you book a job, you’re booking everything about who you are. So it’s important to develop yourself in every way you can to make sure you’re showing up fully to do the work that you want to do.
I think for too long the idea that dancers struggle has been perpetuated and I really want to re-write that narrative to say that you don’t have to struggle, especially if you focus on yourself being an entire person and how you approach things. You show up more confidently. On stage, you have a different presence when people see you move.
Q: Do you have any career advice to share with other dancers?
A: The entrepreneurial mindset requires you to take more responsibility for your life. It’s really difficult, but what can you do? It’s about having an abundance mindset. It’s a pretty heavy conversation, actually. What do you believe? Do you believe it’s going to be really hard or not? Are you willing and open to different experiences to then create your dance life or not?
I don’t just perform. I really don’t just teach. I also choreograph and I’ve done some arts administrative stuff too. Every single role in the dance world still matters to create what we do to make it matter. I’m very fortunate to be given the resources to be this dancer that knows what it’s like, and now I have my own projects where I can help other dancers.
So imagine if every dancer was to do this. Yeah, you can still dance full-time for whoever you want, but then you have this other initiative on the side that continues to add to the ecosystem of what makes our dance world move. Instead of waiting around to make that thing come to you, you create it yourself.
Celebrating Small Wins
Q: Is there any other advice or wisdom you want to share with dancers?
A: In the midst of all the things I’ve done in my life, imposter syndrome is very real. Somehow, someway, some thought says ‘You’re not a dancer.’ I was going through a moment of dealing with imposter syndrome, as well as feeling like my success was ‘over there.’ Like, once I’m ‘there,’ I’m good. But I had to get to a point where I’m like ‘I’m successful right now.’
Whatever you’re doing right now, as long as you’re taking active steps to where you want to go, will lead you to where you would like to be. It’s important to celebrate your small wins in the midst of whatever journey that you’re on. Also, remember that it is your journey and not anyone else’s. It’s important to stay really focused on your journey and to follow what makes sense to you. Everything that you’re doing every day - whether it's sleeping and knowing that you need rest, seeing that dance show, seeing your friends - everything that you contribute to your life will contribute to your dance career.
No time is wasted as long as you’re doing it very mindfully and intentionally, and it’s pouring into you - the energy you need to push forward and be successful. So, keep taking classes and train, but don’t forget that you’re an entire person when it comes to pushing for your goals.
Briana Stuart is a freelance dancer, certified yoga teacher, and the Founder of STU Arts Dance, a Belgium-based dance company that offers group dance classes and workshops for adults, small groups, and businesses. Stay connected with Briana on Instagram!
Creative Living for Dancers will offer professional and personal development resources for emerging and professional freelancers. Through a series of video lessons, Briana will share what it means to be a full-time freelance dancer and how to do it professionally. The organization recently awarded € 1000 to four dancers to help them build their own digital dance projects. To learn more about Creative Living for Dancers, visit www.creativelivingfordancers.com.