This Girl Isn't Letting Religion Stop Her From Becoming The World's First Hijabi Ballerina
14-year-old Stephanie Kurlow wants other girls like her to know they can make a change — no matter their beliefs or the clothes they choose to wear.
By John Lim — 04 Feb 2016, 05:57 PM
Like many young girls her age, 14-year-old Stephanie Kurlow, who had been dancing since she was 2, dreamed of becoming a ballerina. However, that came to a stop after she converted to Islam.
Sydney-born Kurlow converted to Islam in 2010 with her parents and 2 brothers, leading her to believe that she could not be a Muslim and a dancer at the same time due to perceived religious restrictions
Kurlow began dancing when she was two years old, and performed with the Riverside Theatre until 2010, when she converted to Islam with her two brothers, Australian father and Russian-born mother.
But she stopped performing because she struggled to reconcile her new religion and its wrappings with ballet culture. Some strict Muslims believe dancing is forbidden. She also felt self-conscious about topping her tutu with the modest hijab head scarf.
Moreover, much to her frustration, most ballet studios in her town wouldn't accept a ballerina wearing a hijab
She wanted to wear her hijab to dance classes in the southwest suburbs of Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her family, but she couldn't find a school who would accept her. She also felt self-conscious about topping her tutu with the modest hijab head scarf. “We thought there were no facilitations or services targeted at Muslim girls,” she says.
mashable.com
Recently, however, she has decided to continue pursuing her dreams after seeing success stories from women of colour such as Misty Copeland
Her dreams won out after being inspired by women of colour who were succeeding in their fields all over the world, like Noor Tagouri, the first American news anchor to wear a hijab, or Michaela De Prince and Misty Copeland, the first African-American ballerina.
dailymail.co.ukIn order to get back to dancing, she has started a fundraising campaign on LaunchGood so she can train full time at a professional ballet school
Ultimately, she hopes she can inspire people to chase their dreams - regardless of religion and race
"I plan on bringing the world together by becoming the very first Muslim Ballerina so that I can inspire so many other people to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams,' she wrote on her fundraising page. I want to encourage everyone to join together no matter what faith, race or colour. To bring harmony and a world of acceptance for future generations. YOU can help me achieve this dream," she said.
dailymail.co.uk