Everything You Need to Know about the Brown Ballerina Road Trip
If you follow Brown Girls Do Ballet on Instagram, you’ve likely seen several posts about the Brown Ballerina Road Trip. From New York to Washington, and even Kansas, Brown Girls Do Ballet’s founder, TaKiyah Wallace, has spent the past few months traveling to connect with dancers all over the country. In this article, TaKiyah Wallace explains the purpose of the Brown Ballerina Road Trip and how you can get involved.
The Vision Behind the Brown Ballerina Road Trip
The road trip is actually how this all began. When I started shooting the Brown Girls Do Ballet Photo Project, it was a road trip in my personal car that began in Dallas, stopped in Austin, and then ended in Houston, Texas. The images shot for the first three cities were the beginning of a collection of images that are displayed for Brown Girls DO Ballet fundraisers.
The road trip became an official part of our organization's activations after our first long road trip to New Orleans, Louisiana in the summer of 2016. In July 2016, we traveled to participate in the Pop-Up Playdate with another great organization, Play Like a Girl, led by Dr. Kimberly Clay. In addition to our ambassadors presenting at Essence Festival during the Pop-Up Play Day, we met the fantastic dancers of En Pointe Dance studio located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, AND we shot the photo piece of the project at the New Orleans School of Ballet.
What Happens in Each City
Each city has its own experience, depending on why we are there. We've done everything from taking girls to the ballet in Chicago, giving away dance supplies in Houston, visiting small studios in New York, and more - but one piece that remains constant is that we do a free photoshoot in every city. This summer, we are also doing a little filming for a project to be released next year about the road trip.
The Impact of Each Visit
We hope all of the dancers in these cities leave feeling special and inspired. Often the girls are meeting other dancers in their city for the first time, and connections and relationships are built with the parents, which has proved to be an unexpected perk of us coming to town. They can build villages with connections that might not have otherwise been made right in the cities where they reside. Each city inspires me more to continue this work.
Future Road Trip Goals
This summer's road trip is way out of budget due to the rising costs associated with the pandemic, but seeing the smiles on the faces of the girls we meet makes me want to keep going.
We have five more cities coming up before September but high on my list is to get back to the DMV area because it is full of dancers I've yet to meet. Hopefully, our 8/28 Giving Day Fundraiser will help make that possible as all of our road trip events are currently free to the dancers, and we rely on donations to make these trips happen.
How to Get Involved
The dance community can support us by sharing our trip calendar with their local studios and donating to help keep them going. Dancers hoping to participate can see upcoming dates and submit their information here. The only specific qualifications are that you love ballet! We'd love to see more retired dance aficionados as well!
Follow us on Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes footage of each Brown Ballerina Road Trip destination!
Remember, your donations go a long way. Other than supporting activities such as the Brown Ballerina Road Trip, your donations can offer support to local dance studios, dancers who need financial help with supplies, lessons, or college tuition, and much more! Consider donating today.
Have more questions about Brown Girls Do Ballet? Check out this article and video covering our most frequently asked questions.