Meet TaKiyah Wallace | Founder & Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with TaKiyah Wallace and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi TaKiyah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Brown Girls Do Ballet truly began as an accident. Brown Girls Do Ballet began as a personal photo project in 2012 in response to my not seeing images of ballerinas who looked like my daughter in mainstream media. I started shooting ballerinas of color, created an Instagram to keep families informed of my progress, and the audience grew like wildfire. The full organization launched a few months later with the sole purpose of increasing the participation of girls of color in ballet programs.

Aside from young girls being able to see themselves in all of the positive images that we release through our non-profit, Brown Girls Do, Inc. is also able to provide scholarships to young dancers that exhibit financial need so that they might be able to continue their training. We also have a mentorship network where we pair young dancers with more experienced dancers hoping that these relationships might make it easier for them to transition and maneuver easier in the ballet world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Brown Girls Do Ballet began as a personal photo project in 2012 in response to my not seeing images of ballerinas who looked like my daughter in mainstream media. As a freelance photographer, I started shooting ballerinas of color, created an Instagram to keep families informed of my progress, and the audience grew like wildfire. The full organization launched a few months later with the sole purpose of increasing the participation of girls of color in ballet programs.

Aside from young girls being able to see themselves in all of the positive images that we release through our non-profit, Brown Girls Do, Inc. is also able to provide scholarships to young dancers that exhibit financial need so that they might be able to continue their training. We also have a mentorship network where we pair young dancers with more experienced dancers hoping that these relationships might make it easier for them to transition and maneuver easier in the ballet world.

It has not been easy. I created something that was initially supposed to be personal for just me and my own kid. Now its growth makes it important to so many girls around the world. Not being a former dancer operating in the space has been more than complex. Not understanding the politics that can occur behind the scenes, the dance terminology, and practices were all hard things to deal with. But more than anything, the most challenging part of the journey has been dealing with the people who feel like I don’t belong in this space. Despite all the naysayers and the hurdles, my conversations with the girls and families that we’ve helped are what keeps me going. THEY need this and if I have to be the one to take the hits to build this network and community, so be it. I’m a tough girl.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. The amazing southside, to be exact, so if I were to take someone on a tour of the metroplex, I’d start there. First, we’d get our day started at Black Coffee and grab a latte (I’d make them buy a bag of the Poly Blend on the way out of the door), scoot on over to the Brown Girls Do Ballet office on Evans, and hang out there for a while (there’s always some good people watching there). For lunch, we’d stop by Carpenter’s Cafe and grab some cake from Loft 22 before making our over to The Dock Bookshop and checking out some new titles. After that, we’d trek over to Dallas (where I actually live) visit my favorite place to buy plant babies, The Plant Project on Routh, before having dinner at my personal favorite hidden gem, Sunset Crabshack in Oak Cliff.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Dr. Kimberly Clay, the founder of iplaylikeagirl.org is a phenomenal woman. Dr. Clay has, been an amazing mentor to me while building the nonprofit. Not only is she an inspiration to the young people she helps but to women such as myself all over.

Website: browngirlsdoballet.com

Instagram: instagram.com/browngirlsdoballet

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brown-girls-do-ballet

Twitter: twitter.com/browngirlballet

Facebook: facebook.com/BrownGirlsDoBallet

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrownGirlsDoBallet

Image Credits
Image credits: Esther Huynh Photo and DFinney Photo