To coincide with her chocolate-skin texture, Cira Robinson would “pancake” her pointe shoes, changing the traditional pink color to that of a coffee brown. “It would look strange if there was a pink shoe at the end of a brown leg, so it helps with the line. My pointe shoes are brown because my skin is brown.” The Cincy native traveled to the UK to live out her arabesque goals, performing with the Ballet Black Company. Photo Credit: Dave Morgan