News at St. Catherine's
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Making a Difference: Kennedy George and Ava Holloway, Black ballerinas, use art for social change
Freshman Ava Holloway was recently featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
By Colleen Curran
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec. 11, 2020
When 14-year-old ballet dancers Kennedy George and Ava Holloway headed out to the Robert E. Lee statue this summer to have their pictures taken, they had no idea their lives were about to change.
A Reuters photographer saw the young Black dancers standing proudly en pointe in front of the graffiti-laced statue; they were wearing black tutus and raising their fists in a symbol of strength. She asked if she could take their picture, and when Reuters posted the photo to social media, it went viral. Fast.
The image almost instantly became an iconic photo of the Black Lives Matter movement, with celebrities retweeting it and national publications such as Vanity Fair and Vogue running the photo with stories on the Confederate statues and Black Lives Matter.
Kennedy and Ava suddenly found themselves in a position to be a voice for change. And they decided to use it.
“I never really expected for our photo to be as viral as it was,” Ava said. “But I’ve learned that you can advocate in your own way. You can speak up using the gifts that you’re given.”
Kennedy and Ava said they’ve learned how to use ballet as a message for social change, something they never expected when they headed out to the statue that day.
“I was really conflicted when I saw the riots and the protests on social media,” Kennedy said. “I didn’t know how I wanted to give back and voice my opinion. The picture really helped. I don’t know what I would have done without dance [to express how I was feeling].”
Since the summer, Kennedy and Ava, along with dancers Shania Gordon and Sophia Chambliss, have started a nonprofit called Brown Ballerinas for Change, which raises funds for dancers in need.
Through a nonprofit called Brown Girls Do Ballet based in Texas, Kennedy and Ava helped raise $10,000 to fund a scholarship in their name and awarded two scholarships to dancers this fall.
“They’re constantly raising funds,” said Ava’s mother, Amanda Lynch.
Ballet is an expensive art form. For example, one pair of pointe shoes can cost $100 and only last six weeks. “They want to bring diversity to dance and make ballet more equitable,” Lynch said.
Ava and her mother co-authored a children’s book called “My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams,” which is based on the experience of the photo going viral. It has already sold 2,000 copies.
Kennedy, who attends the Henrico Center for the Arts, and Ava, who goes to St. Catherine’s School, have become speakers and mentors, focusing on youth advocacy.
This fall, they performed at the Lee monument during a community event held by the family of Marcus-David Peters, who was fatally shot by Richmond police in 2018. They spoke at the VPOST conference hosted by the Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time, where they talked about how kids can turn their gifts into activism.
Most recently, they were featured panelists during a discussion at Purchase College, State University of New York, on reimagining monuments.
“They weren’t intending to light this spark. They went to the Robert E. Lee statue as a personal statement. We didn’t intend for it to become what it’s become. But they’ve both learned to find something you’re passionate about and do what you can with that passion,” Lynch said.
Looking to the year ahead, Kennedy and Ava said they’re hoping their nonprofit can benefit local Richmond-area dancers. Kennedy aims to keep helping dancers with special needs through the Miracles in Motion program. Both girls have a slew of speaking engagements and volunteer opportunities ahead as well.
And the celebrity requests keep coming in.
Since we last wrote about Kennedy and Ava, they’ve appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show,” a clip of their dancing in front of the monument has been used in John Legend’s music video for “Never Break,” and their dancing was featured in an ad campaign for Nike.
“You see yourself doing something, no matter how small it is, and you can see how much it affects others,” Kennedy said. “It’s mind-blowing.”
“It’s really cool what you can accomplish in such a short amount of time,” Ava said. “It seems like Black Lives Matter may be slowing down as a trend, but we’re still getting the word out. We’re promoting social justice. We’re able to advocate in a different way using an art form.”
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Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec. 11, 2020
When 14-year-old ballet dancers Kennedy George and Ava Holloway headed out to the Robert E. Lee statue this summer to have their pictures taken, they had no idea their lives were about to change.
A Reuters photographer saw the young Black dancers standing proudly en pointe in front of the graffiti-laced statue; they were wearing black tutus and raising their fists in a symbol of strength. She asked if she could take their picture, and when Reuters posted the photo to social media, it went viral. Fast.
The image almost instantly became an iconic photo of the Black Lives Matter movement, with celebrities retweeting it and national publications such as Vanity Fair and Vogue running the photo with stories on the Confederate statues and Black Lives Matter.
Kennedy and Ava suddenly found themselves in a position to be a voice for change. And they decided to use it.
“I never really expected for our photo to be as viral as it was,” Ava said. “But I’ve learned that you can advocate in your own way. You can speak up using the gifts that you’re given.”
Kennedy and Ava said they’ve learned how to use ballet as a message for social change, something they never expected when they headed out to the statue that day.
“I was really conflicted when I saw the riots and the protests on social media,” Kennedy said. “I didn’t know how I wanted to give back and voice my opinion. The picture really helped. I don’t know what I would have done without dance [to express how I was feeling].”
Since the summer, Kennedy and Ava, along with dancers Shania Gordon and Sophia Chambliss, have started a nonprofit called Brown Ballerinas for Change, which raises funds for dancers in need.
Through a nonprofit called Brown Girls Do Ballet based in Texas, Kennedy and Ava helped raise $10,000 to fund a scholarship in their name and awarded two scholarships to dancers this fall.
“They’re constantly raising funds,” said Ava’s mother, Amanda Lynch.
Ballet is an expensive art form. For example, one pair of pointe shoes can cost $100 and only last six weeks. “They want to bring diversity to dance and make ballet more equitable,” Lynch said.
Ava and her mother co-authored a children’s book called “My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams,” which is based on the experience of the photo going viral. It has already sold 2,000 copies.
Kennedy, who attends the Henrico Center for the Arts, and Ava, who goes to St. Catherine’s School, have become speakers and mentors, focusing on youth advocacy.
This fall, they performed at the Lee monument during a community event held by the family of Marcus-David Peters, who was fatally shot by Richmond police in 2018. They spoke at the VPOST conference hosted by the Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time, where they talked about how kids can turn their gifts into activism.
Most recently, they were featured panelists during a discussion at Purchase College, State University of New York, on reimagining monuments.
“They weren’t intending to light this spark. They went to the Robert E. Lee statue as a personal statement. We didn’t intend for it to become what it’s become. But they’ve both learned to find something you’re passionate about and do what you can with that passion,” Lynch said.
Looking to the year ahead, Kennedy and Ava said they’re hoping their nonprofit can benefit local Richmond-area dancers. Kennedy aims to keep helping dancers with special needs through the Miracles in Motion program. Both girls have a slew of speaking engagements and volunteer opportunities ahead as well.
And the celebrity requests keep coming in.
Since we last wrote about Kennedy and Ava, they’ve appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show,” a clip of their dancing in front of the monument has been used in John Legend’s music video for “Never Break,” and their dancing was featured in an ad campaign for Nike.
“You see yourself doing something, no matter how small it is, and you can see how much it affects others,” Kennedy said. “It’s mind-blowing.”
“It’s really cool what you can accomplish in such a short amount of time,” Ava said. “It seems like Black Lives Matter may be slowing down as a trend, but we’re still getting the word out. We’re promoting social justice. We’re able to advocate in a different way using an art form.”
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
