To the young Indian girl at the ballet studio:

This is my open letter to the only other Indian girl at my ballet studio, currently enrolled in the primary levels of instruction offered there.

You are more than the “token person of color”. You are a dancer. You are incredible.

For years, I have been the sole Indian at the ballet studio where we dance. And yes, I know you’re Indian because I heard your mom talking about your ethnicity. In any case, I am so proud of you and your choice to do ballet.

The other older girls and I look into your class, among others, to “ooo” and “ahh” over how adorable all of the young girls in the lower levels of training are. I see you, working on your pliés and learning how to jeté. I see myself in you.

I remember what it was like being the only person of color in my ballet class. I know that when your mom looks for a flesh-toned leotard for you, she won’t find one. The teacher will tell her that she’ll have to dye it at home for you because dance supply companies don’t make leotards for a skin tone as dark as yours. I know that people will assume that the only types of dance you do are Indian dance forms. Besides you and me, how many Indian ballet dancers do you know?

As you get older and progress in your training, you’ll see even fewer dancers of color. Teachers will ask you about your “exotic culture” and if you see La Bayadère, you’ll see the awful way that Indian culture is stereotyped in our little world of dance. In this particularly disgusting ballet, the Indian people are portrayed as barbaric, with dancers at certain ballet companies donning blackface.

It is discouraging, I’ll give you that. There will be so much stacked against you in the realm of ballet. There are so few people of color within the industry. Your ethnicity will be used as a trope in choreography. It is hard to be different from everyone else, but don’t let the odds turn you from ballet.

You have every right to be in our ballet studio. You have every right to dance.