March Kindness Hero - SoEun Park (Junior)
By: Natalia Velychko
Stairway For Ballet started in June 2020 with a passionate student wanting to change the ballet community. Her name, SoEun Park. Now a junior, SoEun has developed her non-profit organization to include a multitude of projects. With a mission to eliminate racism and break stereotypes in the ballet community, she advocates using her podcast, blog, and petitions. In the podcasts and blogs, she advocates stories of real people, interviewing many student dancers and some former professional dancers.
SoEun shares her experience with the ballet community, saying, “It is indisputable that ballet has a diversity problem. The majority of dancers in companies and competitions are not dancers of color. In classes or master classes, I was often one of the few dancers who was a dancer of color. My parents told me that I had to do way better than other dancers to overcome the obstacles in ballet just because of my ethnicity and how I looked. Often, I would see dancers of color getting lower scores even though they seemed to have performed better because of their body or the judges’ preferences. Having seen and experienced these indirectly, I felt frustrated and defeated.” |
To take action, she began to teach free online classes through the Step Program. Her classes are meant to improve stamina and flexibility for children every Saturday for students ages 5-10. These beginner classes have seen more than 40 students joining. Some participants in her classes expressed that they would not have been able to afford their children’s ballet classes if it wasn’t for this program. For instance, Paisley’s parents said in a feedback form, “Paisley has been so eager to begin ballet, but due to the current Pandemic, she’s been unable to do so as well as our ever-changing financial stability. We hope you can help our family support her dream of being a ballerina and commend you for your generosity of free virtual classes!”
For SoEun, her passion stems from her excitement of teaching and loving support from the community. “They have given me so much motivation to keep improving myself and the content I am presenting,” she adds, “Another gratifying thing is all the smiles that the kids give me when they leave the zoom class. That is when I get another assurance that what I am doing and all my efforts are worth it.”
As many know, SoEun is a passionate artist and lifelong humanitarian. As a student at International Academy East, she finds herself immersed in dance, painting, and drawing, finding unique ways to advocate for social justice and equality. She hopes that this passion will lead her to work in the field of Sociology and International Relations. “I strive to work for social justice and be the change I want to see in the world, taking action in a community to do good.” |
If you want to check out more, below are attached links to Stairway for Ballet social media.
Source For Images:
https://leader.pubs.asha.org/cms/asset/29ab71f2-5b67-44a7-858f-bce774e0bd68/nib3_0420_web.jpg
- Website: https://www.stairwayforballet.com/our-program-1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stairwayforballet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StairwayForBalletOne/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Source For Images:
https://leader.pubs.asha.org/cms/asset/29ab71f2-5b67-44a7-858f-bce774e0bd68/nib3_0420_web.jpg