GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Triad dancer and choreographer is telling the story of natural hair while on the tips of her toes.
Triad dancer and choreographer Princess Johnson is creating a ballet about embracing natural hair
She’s an artist in residence at the Greensboro Residency for Original Works, and her ballet is called “The Hair Journey”
The ballet is still in development and Johnson hopes it will come out in spring 2024
Princess Johnson is a choreographer, dancer and the owner of Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet in Greensboro. She is also an artist in residence at the Greensboro Residency for Original Works. Her original work is “The Hair Journey,” a ballet based on a children’s book she wrote about a girl named Zuri who learns to embrace her natural hair.
Johnson said she’s felt society’s pressure to think otherwise.
“I started my business and I literally did not … go natural, because I did not want to deter any potential white customers,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to scare them away with my hair.”“I started my business and I literally did not … go natural, because I did not want to deter any potential white customers,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to scare them away with my hair.”
She said the CROWN Act, a law that says people can’t be discriminated against because of their hair, is a step in the right direction.
“It’s not even a national thing. It’s like, cities are doing it or counties or states, but it’s still not … you’re not safe everywhere,” Johnson said.
According to the CROWN Act’s website, less than half of U.S. states have passed it at the state level. Johnson said there is still a lot of progress to be made. She hopes her ballet will help young Black girls, including her own little daughter, realize that they are already perfect.
“In thinking about kids, it’s about them just embracing who they are and where they are and how they are and not worrying about appearing to be whatever it is society wants them to be,” Johnson said.
Johnson plans to release "The Hair Journey" book and ballet in spring 2024.