Wokeness is out and entertainment is in at The Kennedy Center. 
The Center’s lineup for the <a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/">new season was just announced</a> as new staffers at the venue continue to make headlines for fighting back against progressive propaganda that’s been on the docket for years.
Now The Kennedy Center will feature a full lineup of music, drama, and dance that’s inspiring for all ages.
For younger fans, there are two world premiere productions as part of the season, including “The Sea Beyond the Ocean” and the Center’s first Theater for the Very Young commission, “Fishing for Stars,” an immersive non-verbal work for ages 2–6. 
There’s also a new play, “Young Dragon,” and a nostalgic throwback millennials are sure to recognize. The brand-new musical adventure “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE” presented by the Jim Henson Company debuts in 2026.
“This season brings students of all ages on inspiring journeys,” Jordan LaSalle, Vice President of Education, said of the new shows. “Featuring some of the most exciting companies from across the nation and world, each performance encourages the young and young-at-heart to unleash their imaginations. We are thrilled to continue our decades-long commitment to commissioning new works, including our first for our youngest of audiences and their families.”
In the realm of dance, the Center will showcase ballet and dance offerings from world-class companies and artists. As America nears its 250th anniversary, the 2025-26 season features programming that reflects the deep history of the nation plus fresh, modern interpretations. This includes some new shows plus returning favorites such as “The Nutcracker” from The Cincinnati Ballet.
The theater season also has new and award winning shows, per the press release.
“There is truly a great theater season of excitement and joy coming to the Kennedy Center,” said Senior Vice President of Artistic Programming and Executive Producer of Theater, Jeffrey Finn. “I couldn’t be more proud to feature a season filled with Best Musicals from Broadway, including three Tony®–winning original Best Musicals: ‘The Outsiders,’ ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical,’ and ‘Spamalot.’”
Trump made headlines earlier this year when he promised to reform the Kennedy Center, which began when he replaced its board and was elected chairman. Trump also tapped Special Envoy Richard Grenell to serve as the Center’s president.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote in February. “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”
The changes the new board made led to full-scale meltdowns on the Left, including protests expressed through interpretive dancing.
According to a previous report published on The Daily Wire, the Kennedy Center is $40 million in debt and will be making major cuts to staff.
&#8220;The former leadership built a broken budget with an operating deficit of 100 million dollars and a bottom-line deficit of 26 million dollars,&#8221; CFO Donna Arduin said. &#8220;The former leadership led Board members to believe there was a balanced budget when there was $26 Million in false funds. Fiscal Year 25 budget was previously passed with $26M of fictitious funds. We have now truly balanced the budget.”
Besides their financial goals, the Center’s new leadership is focused on offering high-quality entertainment that’s free from radical progressive messaging.

The Kennedy Center

New Kennedy Center Lineup Includes Family-Friendly Content, Zero Drag Shows For Kids

Culture

Dance

Entertainment

Music

Theater

U.S.

Washington D.C.

In December of 2024, for the second year in a row, a male Irish dancer who identifies as a transgender girl has <a href="https://www.quickfeis.com/FullOireachtasResultsFreeV2?OireachtasId=29" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won the title</a> of Southern Regional Champion, beating out nearly 100 girls and indirectly depriving a young woman of the opportunity to compete at the World Championships. 
As an internationally competitive Irish dancer, I have been appalled at the introduction of men into women’s sports across the globe in the last several years, and specifically, at the effects of this practice upon my own sport. Despite recent victories such as the defeat in federal court of the Biden-Harris administration’s attempt to legally expand the definition of sex in Title IX to include the nebulous concept of “gender identity,” which would have <a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2025/2025-1-title-ix.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punished states</a> for barring biological males from women’s sports, many female athletes are still forced to yield their spaces to boys and men.
In recent months, I have watched young women diligently balance AP classes, cross-training, and other sports with rigorous dance classes, frequent travel to competitions, and acute mental pressure that accompany athletes everywhere, only to have to compete against individuals with physiological advantages. These girls all train in the hope of qualifying for the <a href="https://www.clrgoireachtas.com/world-championships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Irish Dancing Championships</a>, a feat attained by a mere 1%. The World Championships are often termed our “Olympics,” and for good reason. While a normal <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979#:~:text=A%20normal%20resting%20heart%20rate%20for%20adults%20ranges,to%20100%20beats%20per%20minute." target="_blank" rel="noopener">resting heart rate</a> for adults ranges between 60 to 100 beats per minute (BPM), the stamina required to compete in three champion-length rounds means our resting heart rates are often near 40bpm. Our complex rhythms must be unfailingly precise; we require the flexibility to kick well above our heads, and we must possess the explosive power to jump and freeze in midair, even while wearing heavy, fiberglass shoes. Some of us commute several hours to dance class, and in my case, as just one example, I delayed attending my first-choice university in order to secure a qualification.
After all this sacrifice, girls are then made to compete against individuals who, according to the National Library of Medicine, possess superior lung capacity, denser bones, and significantly greater muscle mass <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9331831/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even after estrogen therapy.</a> As of 2022, International Olympic Committee regulations require biological males wishing to compete as females to undergo “hormone therapy” to maintain testosterone levels “below 10 nmol/L (nanomoles per liter) for one year.” It is crucial to note here that this standard is patently unfair: The female range for testosterone is “&lt;1 nmol/L.&#8221; Furthermore, the National Library cites multiple studies demonstrating hormone therapy’s “limited success” with one study revealing that although male-to-female trans individuals’ testosterone levels “decreased significantly,” “nearly all” failed to reach female levels.
Additionally, current testosterone levels are a faulty metric to begin with: Male exposure to “testosterone secreted before birth … and postnatally &#8230; has driven permanent effects.” Females have “10-12%” smaller lung capacity and heart size “85% that of males.” Further studies reveal that male-to-female trans-identifying individuals experience “no bone mass loss” after “28-63 months of estrogen therapy,” and lose just “5-10%” of what can be a “50-75%” muscle mass advantage, an effect which evidence indicates could be “mitigated” by exercise. The implications of these findings upon policy for a highly aerobic, plyometric sport such as Irish dance ought to be self-evident.
Already, in the U.S., England, and Scotland, girls have been deprived of titles, World Qualifications, World Medalist status, and other honors. And now, this past December, we had to watch a boy win another female regional title. Anyone who was present or has seen the videos of that moment knows how discouraged his female competitors and their parents and teachers were.
One mother I spoke to asked to remain anonymous and expressed her frustration. Her daughter has competed in Irish dancing for eight years. She says this issue is “a biological thing,” citing the example of her 11-year-old son who has already overtaken his highly-ranked 15-year-old sister’s best cross-country runtime. Regarding dance, she says: “There’s a lot of disappointment from the girls feeling like there’s nothing that they can do training wise.” 
“There were a bunch of girls that have retired &#8230; and have cited this as the cause of why they were retiring. In particular, two girls that are on the podium &#8230; almost every year.”
It is not only parents who see injustice in this practice. One dancer, who competes at the North American level, talked to me about not just her own but also her competitors’ sadness on the changes to their competition: “We work all year for this championship &#8230; and we expect it to be just a girl’s competition.” She says the biological males “tend to be more aggressive, dominant, and take over the stage,” and deprive her competition of opportunities like “getting a recall or a national qualification.” “The majority of us girls feel that disappointment and disagree with” the policy. She concludes, “Awards for me used to be the absolute highlight of Oireachtas &#8230; but this year, when the boy won the championship title for the second time &#8230; my gut dropped.” Another highly-ranked dancer in the competition concurs, recalling that awards “felt pretty awkward.”
They were not alone in their displeasure, with the first dancer noting that “many of us” and “lots of the audience” did not applaud. What used to be “a fun vibe” of “friendship and girlhood backstage” has shifted to one in which “everyone is now on edge.”
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In addition to a physical advantage, boys dancing against girls poses a greater risk for female injuries. Power and swift motion are key components of Irish dancing, and we usually compete two or three dancers at once. Despite our best efforts, differing choreographic floor patterns and an impulse to retain the front of the stage or lose points for timidity sometimes cause collisions.
An anonymous male World Qualifier, talking to me about his in-studio training, said that “aggression is a very big difference between how I dance” compared with “girls at the studio,” continuing to say that “boys will take the front of the stage more definitively,” than girls, who have cause to fear accidental collisions with boys. He speaks strictly out of a sense of fairness, stating that if “a biological male who identifies as a female competed in the male competition, I would have no problem with that.”
It is past time to end this open discrimination against our girls. Given the obvious evidence demonstrating the physical advantages of boys over girls, and the widespread recognition of injustice among the dance community, it ought to be very clear that our girls deserve their own competitions. Although many of the parents, dancers, and instructors who have spoken out on this topic have chosen to remain anonymous, fearing ended careers or vitriolic tirades against personal character, those of us who wish to protect our girls do not ascribe to such “cancel culture.” We do not call for ostracization or exclusion based upon differing beliefs; dancing is a joy which is and should be accessible to everyone. Just never at the cost of young women’s dreams.
* * *
Emily Claire Boulet has Irish danced competitively for the past nine years. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in English with a concentration in Business Administration at the University of Dallas.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Irish dancers

‘My Gut Dropped’: Trans-Identifying Dancer Wins Female Irish Dancing Competition. Again.

'My Gut Dropped': Trans-Identifying Dancer Wins Female Irish Dancing Competition. Again.

Gender

Ireland

Irish

Opinion

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

Women

Women Sports

The NFL has finally weighed in on the viral “Trump dance” that&#8217;s sweeping the sports world in honor of President-elect Donald Trump.
In a statement from NFL Chief Spokesperson Brian McCarthy, the league made it clear it has no problem with the players who have celebrated their individual victories on the field by doing the dance, which became a viral sensation during the 2024 election, <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/nfl-says-has-no-issue-players-doing-trump-dance-celebrations">OutKick</a> reported.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no issue with celebratory dances such as what took place Sunday or the previous week with the 49ers on November 10,&#8221; McCarthy said in an e-mail. 
NFL players from across the league have celebrated their victories by doing the <a href="https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1858267401533714552">dance</a>, which became a trend on social media after supporters made videos of themselves doing the same dance moves that Trump often did when he danced to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” at his numerous campaign rallies.
<div><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl%3D1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1732116649686000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1x0AiGEF9DtmJHK1OHTWGh">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></div>
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers did the Trump-esque dance moves when he scored a touchdown on Sunday, after he caught a 23-yard pass from Gardner Minshew late in the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins. 
And while those watching the game live saw Bowers’ dance in the end zone — and then a shot of Raiders’ owner Mark Davis reacting to the TD — the victory celebration seemed to be missing from the post “NFL on CBS” made on X, <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/nfl-cbs-caught-editing-trump-dance-out-raiders-touchdown-celebration">OutKick</a> noted. The <a href="https://x.com/NFLonCBS/status/1858239347444564173">social media post</a> showed the 23-yard catch and then cut straight to the shot of Davis in his suite.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The NFL, through a spokesperson, has confirmed that it has &#8220;no issue&#8221; with players who do the dance that mimics the moves of President-elect Donald Trump.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no issue with celebratory dances such as what took place Sunday or the previous week with the 49ers on November… <a href="https://t.co/JUTjJIfLC2">pic.twitter.com/JUTjJIfLC2</a>
— OutKick (@Outkick) <a href="https://twitter.com/Outkick/status/1858977602888757442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
But Bowers wasn’t the only NFL player rocking the dance moves. During the Detroit Lions game, Za’Darius Smith and Malcolm Rodriguez celebrated their team’s defensive stop on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, by doing a series of dance moves that included the funny <a href="https://x.com/Lions/status/1858247510399095080">Trump-esque dance</a> steps.
Tennessee Titans players Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine busted out the Trump moves ahead of what appeared to be a touchdown during the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
A week earlier — shortly after Trump’s victory against Vice President Kamala Harris — it was San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa who first did the Trump dance moves on the field following a sack of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player, the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/18/sports/cbs-seemingly-removed-brock-bowers-donald-trump-dance-after-raiders-touchdown/">noted</a>.
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, Hall of Fame football legend <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/brett-favre">Brett Favre</a> was asked about the “Trump dance” and said he didn’t think the league would fine players or institute any kind of ban to get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nfl-reportedly-looking-into-fine-against-bosa-for-flashing-maga-hat-on-tv">players to stop showing support</a> on the field for Trump.
“I find it hard to believe that the NFL would crack down on this ‘Trump’ dance,” Favre told <a href="https://x.com/foxnews/status/1858903118349476245?s=46&amp;t=yVg_AIbZC0FnyCtU4qPVYw">Fox News</a>. “I really do. I would hope that they wouldn’t.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/viral-trump-dance-takes-over-nfl-ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viral ‘Trump’ Dance Takes Over NFL, UFC</a>

NFL: DEC 15 Dolphins at Giants

NFL Says It Has ‘No Issue’ If Players Celebrate With ‘Trump Dance’

NFL Says It Has 'No Issue' If Players Celebrate With 'Trump Dance’

Donald Trump

Sports

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) granted $35,000 from taxpayers to support a transgender dance tour in four states led by a “queer choreographer.&#8221;
The <a href="https://freshmeatproductions.org/sean-dorsey-dance-the-lost-art-of-dreaming-online-on-demand-apap-screening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">performance</a> is titled “The Lost Art of Dreaming” and produced by Fresh Meat Productions, a San Francisco-based studio led by transgender activist <a href="https://seandorseydance.com/about/artistic-director/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sean Dorsey</a>, who <a href="https://seandorseydance.com/about/artistic-director/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> himself as the “first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer.”
The NEA grant description says the performance “imagines transgender and queer futures through contemporary dance, grand-scale costuming that will double as set and visual elements, and physical theater.” The grant covers one year, from May 2023 to May 2024.
Fresh Meat Productions <a href="https://freshmeatproductions.org/sean-dorsey-dance-the-lost-art-of-dreaming-online-on-demand-apap-screening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes</a> that the dance is “performed by a powerhouse ensemble of five trans, queer and gender-non-conforming dancers” featuring “intimate storytelling, intricate costuming and exquisite queer partnering.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-590067 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.37.47-AM-300x195.png" alt="" width="601" height="391" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.37.47-AM-300x195.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.37.47-AM-886x576.png 886w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.37.47-AM-768x499.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.37.47-AM-1536x998.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.37.47-AM.png 1702w" sizes="(max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px" /></div>
“Dorsey will host free community engagement activities such as trans-supportive writing and movement workshops,” the grant description adds. “This project will serve artists and audiences in Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.”
Fresh Meat Productions lists several of its “<a href="https://seandorseydance.com/works/the-lost-art-of-dreaming/booking-touring/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">community engagement activities</a>” on its website, which includes “free online creative tools.” Among the resources are “<a href="https://seandorseydance.com/works/the-lost-art-of-dreaming/postcards-from-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">postcards from the future</a>,” drawings of transgender mermaids and other figures, along with slogans like “we are divine,” “joy is your birthright,” and “you are exquisite.”
The NEA told The Daily Wire that the grant was made &#8220;on the basis of artistic excellence and artistic merit&#8221; and that &#8220;panels of arts experts and other individuals from across the country &#8230; made recommendations on all of the Grants for Arts Projects applications.&#8221;
The studio has received several NEA grants, according to the government agency&#8217;s <a href="https://apps.nea.gov/grantsearch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grant search page</a>, which reveals that Fresh Meat Studios also received $35,000 in 2022 for the same dance tour. It also received $150,000 from the American Rescue Plan and has received funding for other productions, including one focused on the AIDS epidemic. Another focused on &#8220;masculinity and gender in contemporary America.&#8221;
Fresh Meat Productions also received a $19,000 <a href="https://arts.ca.gov/grantee/fresh-meat-productions-9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grant</a> from the California Arts Council, which is funded by the State of California, in <a href="https://arts.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CAC_LI_2019-20_GrantListings.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019</a>. A project description reads: “Operating in a world that harms and excludes trans bodies and expression, FMP lifts up trans and gender non-conforming artists as agents of change.”
It also adds that Fresh Meat Productions promotes “the evolution of transgender arts and culture” and the “artistic development and leadership of trans, gender non-conforming and queer communities.”
Meanwhile, the NEA has also patronized other productions that promote transgenderism. A $30,000 grant to Boulder, Colorado’s Motus Theater went “to support the development and world premiere touring production of the TRANSformative Monologues project.”
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“Local transgender community leaders will participate in a series of artmaking workshops and will collaborate with theater artists to write and perform autobiographical monologues,” the description explains that the performances will also feature “guest experts on issues of transgender rights.” The grant period began in January 2023 and continues until January 2024.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-590071 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.39.44-AM-300x96.png" alt="" width="625" height="200" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.39.44-AM-300x96.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.39.44-AM-1024x329.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.39.44-AM-768x246.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/Screen-Shot-2023-07-19-at-10.39.44-AM.png 1340w" sizes="(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px" /></div>
Motus Theater is <a href="https://www.motustheater.org/transformative-stories" target="_blank" rel="noopener">searching</a> for five to eight “transgender and non-binary leaders to develop artfully crafted personal stories about their hopes, dreams, and experiences of negotiating oppression and liberation.”
The project intends to interrupt “dehumanizing rhetoric and policies targeting transgender and non-binary people” and to <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae20263aa49a1f4000bf576/t/640a10d88e58752841338455/1678381272427/TRANSformative+Stories_Flyer_5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">depict</a> transgender individuals “as the protagonists in the American drama.”

Audience watching dance

National Endowment For The Arts Grants $35K To Transgender Dance Tour

Social Issues

trans

As far as Democratic-run events go, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/babbling-biden-muses-about-2024-run-im-the-guy-whos-pushing-out-eggs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House Easter</a> Egg Roll on Monday was pretty tame and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/just-be-normal-desantis-winning-political-message" target="_blank" rel="noopener">normal</a>. There were no drag queens, no displays of outright contempt for Christianity, and it included one of President Joe Biden&#8217;s classic senior moments:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Roker: &quot;Are you saying that you would be taking part in our 2024 election?&quot;
Biden: “Well I’ll either, I’ll either be rolling egg or uh, being the guy, you know, the guy who’s pushing &#39;em out.”<a href="https://t.co/7OrlUaimI3">pic.twitter.com/7OrlUaimI3</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1645438019657256965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Then that rambunctious Gritty from the Philadelphia Flyers had to twerk.
&#8220;The white house was NOT ready for this twerk,&#8221; one of the most famous, or infamous depending on your persuasion, mascots tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
the white house was NOT ready for this twerk <a href="https://t.co/xg97pWHCJ1">pic.twitter.com/xg97pWHCJ1</a>
&mdash; Gritty (@GrittyNHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrittyNHL/status/1645515806875238402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the background, somebody can be heard saying, &#8220;All right now &#8230; Stop doing that.&#8221; The three Easter bunnies seemed too stunned to speak.
Now, many believe that there is a time and a place for twerking. Some like to do it at <a href="https://twitter.com/sav_says_/status/1323828914180001793?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BLM riots</a>. Others do it at <a href="https://twitter.com/1Fubar/status/1540529786053066753?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abortion rallies</a>. Neither of those events is this author&#8217;s cup of tea — and neither is twerking for that matter — but it is safe to say that a White House Easter Egg Roll meant for families is not the place to shake your tail-feather the way Gritty did it.
As conservative Jim Hanson put it, &#8220;It&#8217;s a children&#8217;s event scumbag.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nor should they be It&#39;s a children&#39;s event scumbag <a href="https://t.co/oaiob974Js">https://t.co/oaiob974Js</a>
&mdash; Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimHansonDC/status/1645869921165881344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It should be noted that the theme of the egg roll was &#8220;eggucation.&#8221;
&#8220;Today was a beautiful day for the Easter &#8216;EGGucation&#8217; Roll,&#8221; first lady Jill Biden tweeted. &#8220;As a teacher, it meant the world to me to have families enjoy a fun-filled day of learning and exploring at the White House.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today was a beautiful day for the Easter “EGGucation” Roll. 
As a teacher, it meant the world to me to have families enjoy a fun-filled day of learning and exploring at the White House. <a href="https://t.co/KQC52QYD18">pic.twitter.com/KQC52QYD18</a>
&mdash; Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1645555212516577291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Maybe it is no surprise that a representative of the City of Brotherly Love disgraced the White House. Philly fans beat up Santa Claus, for Pete&#8217;s sake. They aren&#8217;t exactly known for being members of polite society.
Yet if there is one silver lining in any of this, we all received a valuable lesson this week: You can pay for &#8220;eggucation,&#8221; but you can&#8217;t buy class.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Joe Biden, Easter Bunny, Gritty

Why Did Gritty Have To Twerk At The White House Easter Egg Roll?

Executive

General

White House

Michael Flatley, known for his “Riverdance” show, announced he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Flatley, 64, who grew up on Chicago&#8217;s South Side and won the middleweight division of the Chicago Golden Gloves Boxing Championship when he was a teenager, was invited to help create an intermission show for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. He performed “Riverdance,” which lasted seven minutes. He then pushed for it to become a full-length show, which starred him and Jean Butler.
In 1995, he was fired, but said, “I just wanted control over the work that I had created myself. That&#8217;s all. I don&#8217;t think that that&#8217;s too much to ask. I felt like I built it and they took it, and that&#8217;s the end of it&#8230; and it hurt.” He then created “Lord of the Dance.”
Flatley, who is married with one son, was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in 2003. On Wednesday, Flatley’s Instagram account released a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnSK0nxq1_P/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> of his current condition, writing:
<blockquote>
Dear friends, we have something personal to share, Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors. No further comments will be made at this time. We ask only for your prayers and well wishes. Thank you.
</blockquote>
After Flatley’s melanoma was discovered by an MTV viewer who saw symptoms on him in 2003, he <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11624435/Michael-Flatley-diagnosed-aggressive-form-cancer.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the</a> Irish Independent, “It was purely by chance that it was noticed. I had never even noticed it&#8230;it can be a frightening place to be.”
In 2021, he recalled, “So many people who surround me have had cancer and so many people I know have died from it. We were at the fifth anniversary of &#8216;Lord of the Dance&#8217; in Las Vegas and I did an interview with MTV. Somebody watched the interview and brought it to the attention of my personal assistant and said: ‘Did you ever notice the brown spot on the side of Michael&#8217;s face?’”
“I had never even noticed it,” he remembered. “They advised me to go and have it looked at. I did and the doctor took a sample of it there and then. I was flying to Barbados the next day and he gave me a call and asked me to come and see him. I said I was leaving for the airport and would he mind if I called him when I got back. He said, ‘No, I need you to come in immediately.’ That was a little scary. I canceled the flight and went straight in to see him. He said if I had let it go a few more weeks there was probably nothing he could have done for me.”
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SHOWBIZ Flatley 2

‘Riverdance’ Star Michael Flatley Diagnosed With ‘Aggressive’ Cancer

Michael Flatley

Former &#8220;Dancing With the Stars&#8221; performer Maksim Chmerkovskiy shared an emotional <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaXDCGrgAhk/">message</a> Thursday from his home country of Ukraine where he&#8217;s been filming &#8220;World of Dance Ukraine.” 
The pro dancer included shots of the streets in Kyiv while expressing his innermost feelings about being in his home country during the Russian invasion.
&#8220;Everybody was hoping that the finality of this situation would be averted, that there wasn&#8217;t going to be these kind of aggressive measures,&#8221; he said while filming an ambulance racing down the street followed by what looked like a military vehicle.
&#8220;I&#8217;m uneasy, I&#8217;m very scared &#8230; but I do know, at the very least, I have a chance. I have a passport and a way out. A lot of people here do not, and it&#8217;s f***ing nonsense,&#8221; Chmerkovskiy continued.
In a second video, the 42-year-old “DWTS” alum begins crying as he uses the camera to show the &#8220;reality&#8221; of the situation while saying &#8220;it&#8217;s been a little difficult&#8221; to be present during the conflict. &#8220;You know me — I stay strong, and I don&#8217;t show it,&#8221; the Ukrainian-born dancer says.
&#8220;But I want to go back home. And I realize that I have the way to — I realize that I have a different passport, and my family is far away,&#8221; Chmerkovskiy says. He is married to fellow “DWTS” star Peta Murgatroyd and the couple has a 5-year-old son Shai Aleksander together.
Chmerkovskiy also uses his Instagram video to plead with Russian forces, saying he’s &#8220;about to go into a bomb shelter because s*** is going down.&#8221;
&#8220;In 2022&#8217;s civilized world, this is not the way we do things,&#8221; he said while addressing the camera. 
&#8220;I think the Russians need to get up and actually say something, because no one&#8217;s opinion is being heard. This is all one man&#8217;s ambition of something, and however convenient it sounds in Moscow, however comfortable you are where you are in Russia, I just don&#8217;t think this is the right thing.&#8221;
Meanwhile, Chmerkovskiy’s wife posted a social media update of her own begging for her husband’s safety and the prayers of their fans.
&#8220;Please pray for my husband Maks,&#8221; she wrote on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaYF5Owvj9X/">Instagram</a>. &#8220;I don&#8217;t usually ask for these things from my social media network, however today is extremely hard and the next few will be even harder.&#8221;
&#8220;My pain is overwhelming and I&#8217;m struggling, but you sending your positive light and love to him would mean the world to me. Truly, I wish for nothing more.&#8221;
She went on to say that while she doesn’t have details on her husband, she knows he’s safe for now.
&#8220;Please pray that he comes home soon. Please pray that he has a swift, safe exit. I have FAITH. I have HOPE and I have PRAYED so hard,&#8221; Murgatroyd wrote.
&#8220;Please pray for Ukraine and the innocent civilians whose lives are being greatly uprooted. I grew to love this country the couple of times I visited and they&#8217;re in an unfathomable situation.&#8221;
The Daily Wire’s first original film, Shut In, has made its cinematic debut, being met with rave reviews. The Daily Wire is building an alternative to the leftist entertainment industry, one gripping movie at a time. Join us in this mission and stream Shut In today by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">Daily Wire member</a>.

AOL Build Speaker Series – Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Dancing With The Stars Tour

‘I’m Very Scared’: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy Sends Video From Kyiv Where He’s Filming A Show

Russia

Ukraine

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) fired back at Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) after she posted a video appearing to mock his dancing skills — or lack thereof.
Ocasio-Cortez has been campaigning this weekend in Cruz&#8217;s home state of Texas to support congressional campaigns for Jessica Cisneros (challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar) and Greg Casar (running for the seat vacated when Democratic incumbent Rep. Lloyd Doggett changed districts).
In the video, Ocasio-Cortez joined another woman dancing, and captioned the video, &#8220;Ted Cruz could never.&#8221;
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Ted Cruz could never <a href="https://t.co/lGAO45uuy2">pic.twitter.com/lGAO45uuy2</a>
&mdash; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1492935698156036104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Emily Zanotti of Fox News quickly noted that Ocasio-Cortez might want to be careful about laying down such challenges, <a href="https://twitter.com/emzanotti/status/1492955190709866497">tweeting</a>, &#8220;I actually sort of think @tedcruz could. And I’d be careful what I wished for here.&#8221;
Quite a few people wondered whether Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s apparently unprovoked jab meant that the New York Congresswoman just wanted to score a date with Cruz.
&#8220;OMG why are you so obsessed with Ted Cruz, do you want to date him or something????&#8221; The Daily Wire&#8217;s Cabot Phillips <a href="https://twitter.com/cabot_phillips/status/1492957806982533125">asked</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
AOC: “ugh, republicans just want to date me” 
Also AOC: *winks at Ted Cruz* <a href="https://t.co/SuXXX728pK">https://t.co/SuXXX728pK</a>
&mdash; Phil Labonte (@philthatremains) <a href="https://twitter.com/philthatremains/status/1492961268709445639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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After all, that was her explanation for the number of Republicans who had criticized her for vacationing in Florida mask-free while her constituents were hit with the tidal wave of Omicron cases that washed over New York in the days after Christmas.
&#8220;If Republicans are mad they can’t date me they can just say that instead of projecting their sexual frustrations onto my boyfriend’s feet,&#8221; she complained after a number of critics also mocked her boyfriend&#8217;s choice of footwear. &#8220;Ya creepy weirdos.&#8221;
She even took it a step further, <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/give-the-people-what-they-want-ocasio-cortez-doubles-down-on-claim-that-republicans-are-obsessed-with-her-boyfriends-feet/">sharing a video</a> of her boyfriend’s feet as he walked through a parking garage, and adding, &#8220;So we recently went to Florida, where Republicans developed an obsession with Riley’s feet. So … Give the people what they want!&#8221;
https://twitter.com/johnrobertgage/status/1478567965989740545
But Senator Cruz responded to AOC’s dance move diss first by conceding that he probably could not compete with her on the dance floor — but then he pointed out the fact that she was mask free while everyone around her was still masked up and following COVID-19 protocols.
&#8220;True that. @aoc Only Dems can be such shameless mask hypocrites. Dance while you make the &#8216;little people&#8217; mask up. #RulesForTheeButNotForMe,&#8221; he tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
True that. <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aoc</a>
Only Dems can be such shameless mask hypocrites.
Dance while you make the “little people” mask up.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RulesForTheeButNotForMe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RulesForTheeButNotForMe</a> <a href="https://t.co/n0hrL8DrTy">https://t.co/n0hrL8DrTy</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1492944208981893125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Another photo, posted by Cisneros following one of the San Antonio campaign events Ocasio-Cortez attended, appeared to back up Cruz&#8217;s assessment of the situation. While neither Cisneros nor Ocasio-Cortez were wearing masks, everyone visible in the audience — and even the camera-man behind the two women on the stage — is masked up for the occasion.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
THANK YOU, SAN ANTONIO! ❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TX28?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TX28</a> <a href="https://t.co/SToIzmncHj">pic.twitter.com/SToIzmncHj</a>
&mdash; Jessica Cisneros (@JCisnerosTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCisnerosTX/status/1492585319870472198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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National Review media and enterprise reporter Isaac Schorr also noted the disparity between the unmasked &#8220;important&#8221; people and the masked crowds, adding, &#8220;Security and dance partner in masks, talent unmasked — for the brand.&#8221;
In addition to her bizarre attack on Cruz, Ocasio-Cortez insisted during at least one of her weekend campaign events that it was &#8220;inevitable&#8221; that Democrats would turn Texas blue.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Ocasio-Cortez: Texas turning blue. Inevitable. Inevitable! It will happen. The only question is when..We&#39;re going to make sure we unionize the hell out of this state.
&mdash; Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1492706013027438593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire’s first original film, Shut In, has made its cinematic debut, being met with rave reviews. The Daily Wire is building an alternative to the leftist entertainment industry, one gripping movie at a time. Join us in this mission and stream Shut In today by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe-shutin?utm_campaign=shutin&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_content=subscribe_shutin&amp;utm_talent=dailywire" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe-shutin?utm_campaign%3Dshutin%26utm_medium%3Deditorial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_content%3Dsubscribe_shutin%26utm_talent%3Ddailywire&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1644699149485000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0hSL9sbxEl3fLS6INjonzw">becoming a Daily Wire member</a>.

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez Campaigns With TX House Candidates In San Antonio

‘Shameless Mask Hypocrites’: Ted Cruz Fires Back After AOC Hits Him Where It Hurts – His Dancing Skills

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Face Masks

Ted Cruz

China is cracking down on noise pollution, an effort that will reportedly affect public groups of “dancing grannies,” even as the Communist nation continues to struggle against large amounts of smog contaminating the air.
Under pending legislation, fines, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/17/china-dancing-grannies-noise/">between</a> $30 to $150 for individuals and about $3,000 for groups, can be levied for violating new noise restrictions on how loud and when they can play music in public, according to the Washington Post. 
“Those who violate the regulations shall be persuaded and educated” by local government “to correct themselves,” the law says, according to Chinese state media. 
The Washington Post described China&#8217;s dancing grannies as &#8220;middle-aged and retired Chinese women&#8221; who &#8220;take over public parks and plazas around the country to engage in synchronized shimmying.&#8221; According to the outlet, these dancers &#8220;will soon face new restrictions on their right to boogie.&#8221;
Public dancing apparently became a large part of Chinese culture during the Cultural Revolution. 
“The practice had its origins in collective public dances during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, and later in the economic overhauls of the 1990s that left many city dwellers jobless and in need of low-cost entertainment,” the Post noted. 
The new noise laws are seen by some as a move to crack down on the practice. The dances have become somewhat of an international phenomenon with them cropping up in places like outside the Louvre in France or the Red Square in Russia. 
As the country purportedly attempts to regulate noise, it continues to struggle against air pollution as dense smog continues to plague the country. Smog has become a factor in its preparations to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and relations with Taiwan. 
“The first wave of smog from China since Autumn is forecast to hit Taiwan Sunday with the air quality level expected to trigger orange and red alerts, according to the Environmental Protection Administration,” <a href="https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202112110018">reported</a> Focus Taiwan. 
In the lead-up to the Beijing Games, China has reportedly stepped up efforts to cut down smog in at least 64 cities. This involves decreasing industrial production, including at some steel factories, as China will <a href="https://archive.md/ZfdZH#selection-913.0-913.217">reportedly</a> produce 13 percent less steel in the latter half of the year.
One economist who spoke with the outlet predicted the move would cause a “supply-side shock.” 
“Although the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta are not involved, the area that is affected is also a relatively important part of China’s economy, especially in terms of raw material productions,” said economist Lu Ting.
Last year, the United States <a href="https://ge.usembassy.gov/chinas-air-pollution-harms-its-citizens-and-the-world/">accused</a> China of being “the world’s leading annual emitter of greenhouse gases and mercury.”
“Too much of the Chinese Communist Party’s economy is built on willful disregard for air, land, and water quality,” then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in August of 2020. “The Chinese people — and the world — deserve better.”
The U.S. also took China to task for increasing its carbon emissions. 
“Energy-related <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/co2-emissions-from-fuel-combustion-in-selected-economies-2000-2019">emissions of carbon dioxide in the PRC</a> have increased more than 80 percent between 2005 and 2019, while U.S. energy-related emissions dropped by more than 15 percent during the same period,” a report from the Georgia Embassy noted.

Shanghai city in heavy pollution day

‘Dancing Grannies’ In China Face New Restrictions Amid Crackdown On ‘Noise Pollution’

China

Kira Robinson, 18, is a freshman ballet major at the University of Oklahoma who went viral for posting a video of her ballet shoes on TikTok.
In the <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/foryou?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FGMA%2FLiving%2Fballerinas-reaction-pointe-shoes-matching-skin-tone-viral%2Fstory&amp;referer_video_id=6918813680847162629&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1#/@kiraelon/video/6918813680847162629">video</a>, she opens her new Suffolk pointe shoes, saying she &#8220;finally&#8221; got brown ones. Beaming, she holds them up to her skin, saying, &#8220;look at this, look at this&#8230;it&#8217;s brown.&#8221; Robinson says how it is &#8220;revolutionary&#8221; that she won&#8217;t have to &#8220;pancake them&#8221; to make the shoes match her skin tone. Pancaking is &#8220;a term used for blending makeup foundation to match a specific skin tone.&#8221;
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@kiraelon/video/6918813680847162629" data-video-id="6918813680847162629" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@kiraelon" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kiraelon?refer=embed">@kiraelon</a> 
YAYAYAY i’ll show you guys how they look on later <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed">#fyp</a> <a title="cleantok" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cleantok?refer=embed">#CleanTok</a> <a title="blackballerina" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blackballerina?refer=embed">#blackballerina</a> <a title="blackgirl" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blackgirl?refer=embed">#blackgirl</a> <a title="dancer" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/dancer?refer=embed">#dancer</a> <a title="pointe" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/pointe?refer=embed">#pointe</a> <a title="pointeshoes" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/pointeshoes?refer=embed">#pointeshoes</a> <a title="suffolk" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/suffolk?refer=embed">#suffolk</a> <a title="visionboard" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/visionboard?refer=embed">#VisionBoard</a> <a title="dance" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/dance?refer=embed">#dance</a>
 <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - kira :)" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6918813683514706694?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; kira 🙂</a> </section>
</blockquote>
 <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
She told <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/ballerinas-reaction-pointe-shoes-matching-skin-tone-viral-75830211">Good Morning America</a> that she has received lots of feedback on her video &#8220;about how representation is super necessary in the dance world and how a lot of people don&#8217;t have that or see that often.&#8221; The post has received almost 500,000 likes with <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/ballerinas-reaction-pointe-shoes-matching-skin-tone-viral-75830211">reportedly</a> lots of encouraging reactions and commentary.
<a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/ballerinas-reaction-pointe-shoes-matching-skin-tone-viral-75830211">Good Morning America</a> reported that &#8220;Suffolk Pointe Shoe Co. said it started offering brown satin pointe shoes in fall 2020. A bronze satin was released in 2000.&#8221;
In the last few years, the director of the company, Keri Suffolk, said that there was a change in demand from customers as dance teachers altered their dress codes. She noted that for generations, dancers only required pink shoes &#8220;as class dress codes dictated a black leotard, pink tights and pink pointe shoes.&#8221;
Robinson told <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/ballerinas-reaction-pointe-shoes-matching-skin-tone-viral-75830211">Good Morning America</a>, &#8220;Sometimes it&#8217;s frustrating and annoying, but it&#8217;s just how it is&#8230;The dance world is slow to accept POC (person of color) dancers, and I&#8217;ve just had to deal with it and do what I need to do to perform.&#8221;
&#8220;I was ecstatic when I realized Suffolk was releasing new shoes,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been wearing pink ones ever since I was a young girl, but when I heard they were creating brown ones, I couldn&#8217;t believe it. I knew I had to grab a pair.&#8221;
Suffolk noted that professional dancers have been allowed to pancake their shoes for some time, but for performances, professionals are required to &#8220;wear what the artistic director or choreographer has determined to be the look they want for the piece.&#8221;
Suffolk said that social change has led to people questioning why these dress codes and choices in costume are confined to pink shoes. She added that &#8220;pointe shoes should reflect artists of all colors, rather than limit or exclude&#8230;We are hoping these additions are just the beginning, and that dancers of the next generation will never know being limited to only one color option for their pointe shoes.&#8221;
Robinson said she is very proud to be able to be a role model for those who want to follow her lead, &#8220;and commended the modifications that are taking place in ballet.&#8221; She also pointed to the Black Lives Matter movement as a reason for the shift.
&#8220;I think we are seeing more diversity in products because of the Black Lives Matter movement,&#8221; Robinson said. &#8220;A lot of people were fed up with companies&#8217; lack of effort in diversifying their brand and it has taken a long time to see that change. Many have signed and sent petitions to ballet brands to create more colors in their products, and Suffolk was one that heard our plea and started making those changes.&#8221;
She said that she hopes people will look up to her and &#8220;realize there can always be a brown ballerina on the stage.&#8221;

Ballerina standing on toes

Ballerina Goes Viral For Video Of Brown Ballet Shoes

Black Lives Matter

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