Catherine Manno Section 01 Muslim Feminism in the Dance World

Groundbreaking Teen Is First Ballerina To Dance With A Hijab

December 7, 2016

Catherine Manno

To Stephanie Kurlow, dancing is like flying. It makes her feel free. Stephanie Kurlow is a 14-year-old girl from Australia with a big dream! Stephanie wants to become the first professional Ballerina to dance in a Hijab! Stephanie began studying dance when she was 2, but had to stop dancing when she and her family converted to Islam when she was 9. Being a Caucasian family, this was extremely controversial! She stopped following her passion because there were no facilitations or services in the dance world that targeted Muslim girls. However, with the recent growing progression of the Ballet world with groundbreakers like Misty Copeland -one of the first Principal African-American Ballerinas, Stephanie found hope, and became inspired to pursue her passion against all odds!

Many are skeptical of Kurlow's ability to purse a professional career in Ballet. Critics believe that Kurlow's hijabi wear will limit her ability to dance. They also worry about her hijab limiting her ability to get hired. A young dancer usually starts by being cast in to a Ballet Company's Corp De Ballet. The Corp is is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. The Corp needs to be completely in sync and uniform. Wearing the classic tu-tu would infringe on the Muslim faith's modesty tradition by being to revealing so she would instead wear a longer tu-tu (as seen in the photo above), thus creating a divide among the uniformity of the corp. Critics worry that Kurlow's hijab will also break the uniformity of the corp, and hurt the aesthetic of the dance. They also worry about how wearing a job will physically limit her. Critics say that her hijab will limit her range of motion and her choice to wear modest clothing to cover her legs and arms completely will get in her way. However, Kurlow bravely chooses to ignore the skeptics and critics, and let her talent do the talking.

I spoke to many of my friends who are in Mason Gross School of the Arts, here at Rutgers for Dance, and they told me that they have never encountered a Muslim dancer who practices the tradition of Hiajb. They also say that in general, they have met very few Muslim dancers. When I asked them if they thought that the lack of Muslim Dancers stemmed from fear of rejection or racism, and they told me that they weren't exactly sure. They said that they had never thought of it that way.

My friends assumed that a Muslim dancer would never even think to wear a hijab if they wanted to pursue dance. We reflected on the small mindedness that may still be present in our school and in our society. You would think at a diverse school like Rutgers, you would see dancers like Stephanie. Maybe Mason Gross hasn't gotten there just yet.

Stephanie is inspiring Muslim girls and women everywhere. She shows them that they do not have to change their traditions to be accepted and that Muslim girls should be proud of who they are and. Many ask Stephanie if she feels disadvantaged due to her choice of wearing a hijab. However, Stephanie says her hijab doesn't hinder it at all, rather it connects her to God and improves her dancing! She wants young Muslim girls all around the world to embrace their hijabs, (if they choose to wear it) and be proud and empowered by wearing it. She is pushing the boundaries that confine her, fighting stereotypes and paving the way for acceptance and diversity.