*Ballerina Kira Robinson recently went viral after she filmed her joyful reaction to unboxing pointe shoes that matched her skin tone. Since posting it to TikTok on Jan. 17, it has amassed more than 1.4 million views and has received thousands of comments from folks sharing in her excitement.
“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 told Good Morning America.
As she says in the video, Robinson had to “pancake” her shoes in the past, meaning she’d apply makeup foundation that matched her skin.
“Sometimes it’s frustrating and annoying, but it’s just how it is,” she told the outlet, adding that she has done the practice for two years. “The dance world is slow to accept POC dancers, and I’ve just had to deal with it and do what I need to do to perform.”
Robinson — who is in her freshman year at the University of Oklahoma — said she purchased the shoes from the company, Suffolk.
“I was ecstatic when I realized Suffolk was releasing new shoes,” she told GMA. “I’ve been wearing pink ones ever since I was a young girl, but when I heard they were creating brown ones, I couldn’t believe it. I knew I had to grab a pair.”
Watch below:
@kiraelonYAYAYAY i’ll show you guys how they look on later #fyp #CleanTok #blackballerina #blackgirl #dancer #pointe #pointeshoes #suffolk #VisionBoard #dance
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