Brown Girls Do Ballet: Celebrating Diverse Girls Taking Center Stage

by TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian, JaNay Brown-Wood

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book features stunning photographs of several brown girls doing ballet poses in a variety of costumes. They are beautiful and confident, showing the reader that ballet dancers come in lots of different sizes and hues of skin tone.

The writing supports this view. Here are the words for a couple of pages:

"Let your poised and postured movement leave no doubt. Do not doubt. Ballet was made for you. And you were made to dance. So, tie your ballet shoes up tightly. Slide into your leotard. Pull your tights taught. Coif your hair high. Practice till you and your moves are one. Then turn on that Brown Girl flair. Let it drown out any skeptic. Girl, your magic is electric, take your place there on that stage."

This would be a great book for a public library, a public school library, a waiting room at a dance studio, or as a gift to a young brown girl (or even a white girl to prevent her from bullying or even making statements that operate as microaggressions). When my children were growing up in West Virginia, they had a friend around the corner who was Black, and she took ballet classes for over a decade. She received hurtful comments about "not looking like a ballerina." This book would have benefitted her and her teacher / fellow students. I am glad that it exists!

[Daisy Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel awkward when we’re referred to as “brown girls”. While it’s fitting for the title, to refer to the reader as “Brown Girl” throughout the book, felt a little too much… in the darkest parts of history, we were called something akin to “brown girls” but we had names and hopes and dreams. If this book was written for any other demographic, the author would simply say, “hey, ballerina!” and then go on to talk about physical attributes. After all, the book is really about dancers, not racial identity. I am more than my color, and when I dance, I’m a ✨ballerina✨. At no point in the book were any of the girls called ballerinas, they were simply “doing ballet”. Wording matters.

Nevertheless, it was SO NEAT seeing the little girls with their pointe shoes and the tutus and ribbons. This book is going to stay in my heart for a long time. My hangups are minor: 5-Stars!!!

[Sue H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely photobook that showed melanated girls of various ages, shades, sizes and hair textures as they did ballet moves and/or wore ballet attire. The pictures we adorable and nicely laid out. The text was a poetic encouragement that reminded Brown girls that they are capable and should not shy away from ballet, and art form where there is not a lot of people that may look like them. I think this book seeks to counteract that and provide that imagery and the affirmations that might push these girls forward.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunningly beautiful photography that will leave anyone smiling. Brown Girls Do Ballet is an empowering, inspiring, and enabling book of confidence and joy. It shows brown girls of all ages, abilities, shades, shapes and sizes using their strong and capable bodies to find joy in movement. The perfect gift or impetus for just the right girl.

Read as a nomination in the nonfiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The photography takes center stage in this lovely revelation of the roles for girls of every color and background, but particularly brown girls, in the world of ballet. The text by JaNay Brown-Wood is minimalist and yet lyrical, precise, and elegant. The concept of deserving a place in the spotlight, a place on stage, carries through to the images and text as well.
(Wondering if there could be a companion book showing BROWN BOYS DO BALLET coming? I'd welcome it.)

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely celebration of Black and Brown girls of diverse abilities and body size doing ballet. Full color photographs accompanying JaNay Brown-Wood's always-skillful text will definitely entrance young readers and dancers.

Themes: Dance, Ballet, Movement, Black Girl Magic
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Y.Poston]

brown girl centered encouragement to do ballet

[Rachel Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My biracial daughter who loves ballet loved the "real" photographs. The text was perfectly paired for a read-aloud or bedtime book.

[Shan Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully affirming for Black ballerinas. Much needed in a space that isn’t always inclusive

Keep your head up black girl!