As a freshman, Kira Robinson went viral on TikTok after posting a video receiving her first pair of pointe shoes that matched her skin tone.
Three years later, Robinson, an OU ballet performance senior, announced she will be joining the prestigious multi-ethnic ballet company Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Robinson began dancing at 7 when her mother enrolled her in a beginner ballet class. At the time, she was also cheering competitively.
Childhood photo of Kira Robinson.
“My mom actually put me in it because I was always jumping around the house and bouncing around,” Robinson told OU Daily.
When she was 13, Robinson said she decided to pursue dance over cheerleading due to the hassle of traveling between practices and staying on top of her academics. She began training at the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, where she devoted around seven hours every weekday studying dance history and training in various styles, including modern and contemporary.
While Robinson spent her childhood training in a variety of styles, she said she always knew ballet was what she wanted to pursue.
“I found that I like the challenge of ballet because it’s so hard, and it’s hard to make it look easy,” Robinson said. “I think that kind of drew me into it, knowing that there’s always something to work for and to strive for.”
Robinson arrived in Norman for her freshman year in August 2020. Here, she first had the chance to rehearse in a pair of flesh-toned tights after years of wearing pink ones.
The summer prior, Robinson was set to attend a summer intensive program at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, which is known for its dedication to prioritizing Black dancers of high-caliber talent. The flesh-toned tights were part of the required attire at the company, which was the first to stray from the pink tights traditionally worn by ballet dancers.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Robinson couldn’t attend the program, and she said she didn’t know what she would do with the tights. She later put them to use at her first rehearsal at the OU School of Dance, an experience she described as empowering.
“I come in on the first day and I put them on, and it was such a weird experience because it’s not something you see in the dance world,” Robinson said. “I feel like that was a pivotal moment in my dance career because it kind of taught me how to be confident in myself and so from then on, I literally have not worn pink since.”
In January 2021, Robinson posted a TikTok opening her first pair of brown pointe shoes. Her video received nearly 2 million views, garnering over half a million likes and nationwide support.
“All I could do was scream because I couldn’t even process my emotions,” Robinson said.
Prior to the creation and mass production of flesh-toned pointe shoes, dancers like Robinson would “pancake” their shoes, a process that uses makeup to color the shoes to match their skin color.
Robinson said the process was expensive and time consuming.
“It really took all of that stress away, and it finally felt like, ‘Oh, people are seeing Black dancers and they’re seeing our struggles and they’re recognizing that,’” Robinson said of receiving her first brown pointe shoes. “Although it should have been happening sooner, the fact that it was happening at that moment, I was like, ‘OK, this is what we need.’”
OU ballet performance senior Kira Robinson in rehearsal for Oklahoma City Ballet's practice of "Giselle."
Dance Theatre of Harlem landed at the top of Robinson’s list of companies she wanted to audition for during her senior year. After seeing shows by the ballet company throughout her childhood and attending a summer intensive with the company in 2023, she stumbled upon its website again while researching companies for a senior capstone class.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s where I want to be,’” Robinson said. “‘That’s my dream place.’”
Dance Theatre of Harlem was founded in 1969 by Karel Shook and Arthur Mitchell, who is credited as the first Black principal dancer at New York City Ballet. According to Dance Theatre of Harlem’s website, Mitchell’s vision for the company was to create a “haven for dancers of all colors who craved training, performance experience and an opportunity to excel in the classical ballet world.”
The Dance Theatre of Harlem features 18 multi-ethnic dancers who tour nationally and internationally. Auditions for the company’s 2024-25 season took place on March 3 in New York City. Robinson was one of the 100 dancers auditioning for the one full-season female contract available.
Robinson said cuts were made throughout the audition process, which consisted of barre, center work, repertoire and partnering between male and female dancers.
“I’m standing there like, shaking in my boots because I’d seen other girls doing what I was doing. I thought they were really, really great, really beautiful people and beautiful dancers,” Robinson said. “It definitely shook me up a little bit because I had never been in an audition where people were making cuts like that left and right. So I definitely had to be super secure (in) how I was dancing and stay calm.”
OU ballet performance senior Kira Robinson.
Robinson said she felt that her training at OU prepared her in the best way, from the support she received from faculty to the rigorous classes required by the program. She said associate ballet professor Glenn Edgerton connected her to previous Dance Theatre of Harlem members who sent her advice and support leading up to her audition.
“I got a phone call from every single one of (OU faculty members and dancers) after I told them I got the job,” Robinson said. “They were just so ecstatic.”
Robinson said growing up, she was often the only dancer of color in the room, so she feels seen and empowered joining a company that highlights the talent of Black dancers.
“I have looked up to the company (since) before I got (to OU), because it’s so cool to see people that are so talented and that be what they’re remembered for, not just because they’re Black,” Robinson said.
Robinson’s contract is set to begin on July 1 and will include 30 to 38 weeks of full-time work, and 12 to 15 weeks of national and international touring.
“I’m so excited to walk in on the first day and say ‘I’m here,’” Robinson said. “Then to be able to dance alongside people that Black dancers almost idolize because there’s so few of us that when you see them doing so well, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard. Natalie Armour and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
