Hijab ballerina Stephanie Kurlow aged 14 is already shaking up the world of ballet by dancing against discrimination, after her family converted to Islam.

Despite starting to learn ballet at just two years old and going on to perform with a theatre group until 2010, the Australian ballet dancer, Stephanie Kurlow’s career came to a standstill because of the issues around practising ballet whilst wearing the traditional Muslim hijab. The hijab is a veil that covers the head and chest, which is particularly worn by some Muslim women beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family.

Traditionally, some parts of the Muslim faith forbid dancing and further resistance came from dance schools reluctant to take on a student who performed in the hijab – the headscarf worn by devout Muslim women. But Stephanie the hijab ballerina wants change…

Through her LaunchGood website, the hijab ballerina raised money to pay for her ballet tuition via internet crowdfunding, so she can train full time at ballet school. She will be training for over 30 hours a week to perfect the exacting art of ballet but her ultimate goal is not fame, glory or riches. Instead, the Australian hijab ballerina hopes to open a ballet school of her own.

Stephanie Kurlow’s vision is for a school “that will allow future generations a chance to express and heal themselves through the magnificent art of performing and creativity.” She hopes it will “encourage everyone to join together” and her dream includes running programmes at her proposed ballet school for performers of different faiths and support groups.

Sports company, Björn Borg, is one of the many which have been inspired by the hijab ballerina’s determined spirit. They awarded her their scholarship, which they allocate to someone ‘who demonstrates a vision of a better world’, which describes Stephanie Kurlow exactly. Read more by going to the LaunchGood website

by Erica Barnes