Welcome to En Pointe, a quarterly series that offers a deep dive into the intersection of beauty and dance through the eyes of up-and-coming, multidisciplinary dance talent. Expect an intimate look into the daily lives, dreams, and dance-bag beauty essentials of the industry’s best young performers.
As a now-retired dancer, I remember a defining moment in my classical ballet career when, at the age of 13, I was encouraged to completely dedicate myself to the art form and leave behind any other lofty aspirations I may have had. A teacher sat me down in a chair and told me what I would need to give up in order to pursue a career in dance before outlining what the next few years would look like if I wanted to make that dream a reality.
At the time, the career paths of the dancers I admired were practically set in stone—beginning with a company role before transitioning into choreography and teaching. Now, however, a new generation of performers refuses to be pigeonholed into a single career path. They have cracked the code on extending their unique artistry beyond the dance world into content creation, acting, and more. Keep reading to meet one performer, in particular, who’s completely rewritten her story.
Meet Kylie Jefferson: Ballet Dancer, Choreographer, and Actor
Kylie Jefferson‘s success is proof that the skills, tools, and interests fostered in one art form are almost always transferable to another. Her story starts at the age of 6, when she began training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. From there, Jefferson continued her training at the Boston Conservatory, earning her BFA before stepping into the concert dance world with Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
Like so many professional dancers, however, Jefferson faced her fair share of injuries and setbacks. Shortly after joining Complexions, she fractured her rib, forcing her to reevaluate her career path. “I remember healing from that injury over the course of six or seven months and getting random job offers to dance in music videos, and I just said, ‘Okay!’ I wasn’t completely healed, but I wanted to get back into dancing and do something,” Jefferson tells me. After accepting a role at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy as an artist in residence, she eventually stepped away from dance to work as a personal assistant to an executive at a high-powered Hollywood talent agency.
“I was doing everything under the sun but had ‘the artist’s curse,'” she continues. “One of the last things my mentor told me to do before I parted ways with him was to pursue my dreams, but I had no idea how to do it. All I knew was that I wanted to be great, but [I] couldn’t put what I wanted to do into one word, and I still can’t.” Then, in 2019, she got the career break she had been waiting for: the starring role in Tiny Pretty Things, an adaptation of Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra’s 2015 ballet drama book. “I did not know I was auditioning for the main character, because how often is the Black girl the main character on a TV show—especially when we’re talking about ballet?” she explains.
What Jefferson initially thought would be a brief appearance on a few episodes as part of the dance ensemble turned into her stepping into the spotlight as Tiny Pretty Things‘ main character, Neveah Stroyer. The 10-part Netflix series chronicles the trials and tribulations of teen students in an elite ballet academy. Jefferson’s character is a ballet prodigy from Compton, California, who is offered a scholarship to train at the academy. Her arrival sparks debate among students and faculty, as it coincides with the sudden death of one of the academy’s elite dancers. Much like Jefferson herself, Neveah is committed to staying true to herself and avoiding self-comparison as a means of measuring success.
After the show’s release, Jefferson jumped into the world of acting full-time. But does that mean a complete departure from dance? She’s not sure yet. “I’m still kind of figuring out what that dynamic is for me. I do my best to show up for the blessings that come my way and follow what my heart is telling me that I’m willing and ready to do.” Her second big acting gig? Joining the star-studded ensemble cast—alongside Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey—in Tyler Perry’s 2024 film The Six Triple Eight. It tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-female unit that played a crucial role in World War II.
Coming to Terms With Her Ballet Body
Throughout her career, Jefferson repeatedly redefined her relationship to cultural beauty standards, as her ballet training shaped many of her early perceptions of beauty. Now, she credits her strong sense of self-confidence to her time at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. “At DADA, I didn’t have to take on the ‘I’m a Black girl who does ballet’ persona, but I did have a teacher who shared how nervous she was for me to enter other spaces during my summer dance programs as a Black dancer.” Those spaces included classes and studios where Black faculty and ballet dancers were few and far between.
It wasn’t until her time at the Boston Conservatory that Jefferson realized she wasn’t just a Black girl who did ballet—she was the only Black girl pursuing ballet training in her graduating class. “That’s when I started to look at my body,” she tells me. Being in college is one thing with the ‘freshman 15,’ but my body was filling out in a different way, and I got worried,” she continues. “At the same time, I was only going to allow myself to feel insecure about my existence for so long before I made it my power.” During her time at the Boston Conservatory, a visit from Complexions Contemporary Ballet choreographer Dwight Rhoden inspired her love for contemporary ballet. Unlike classical ballet, contemporary ballet embraces and celebrates the Black body—something Jefferson had rarely seen in her early classical ballet training.
Jefferson acknowledges that politics, opinions, biases, and the policing of the human body continue to permeate the industry. “I had to keep reminding myself that if you’re quiet, you’re just here to do your job. No one can put extra ammo on your personality like they so often do for us Black women in any workspace,” she says. By the time she was a senior, Jefferson had learned how to stay unswayed in her perception of herself, focusing on her goals with determination. While filming Tiny Pretty Things, she also learned how to embrace mistakes. “I learned to make space for imperfection,” she explains. “It can support you and make your performance even better. You just have to remember that your 100% is going to look different every single day.”
Jefferson’s Beauty Essentials
Jefferson revealed that she has struggled with acne for years, but residual feelings of uneasiness and skin anxiety really rose to the surface when she began acting. That said, with the help of makeup artists—especially those on the set of The Six Triple Eight—Jefferson began to learn more about her skin type and how to strategically apply makeup to mask any insecurities. Her dance experience has also aided her understanding of hair health, as dancers are often encouraged to pull their hair back for visibility. In ballet, this often means wearing your hair in a tight and clean bun for hours on end, which can create breakage at the crown of the head.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Kylie Jefferson)
Luckily, Jefferson has a system she trusts to keep her strands healthy. “As soon as I get out of class, I immediately take down that ponytail or bun out of my hair, and I’m also extremely careful about the kind of hair tie I use.” When she started to notice breakage in college, she began plaiting her hair and styling it into low-tension buns. To achieve her sleek buns, Jefferson uses a combination of Got2B’s hair spray and easy home remedies, like hair masks made from mayonnaise, to help combat heat damage.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Kylie Jefferson)
In the Lululemon dance bag she carries to and from classes, rehearsals, and performances, Jefferson packs her ballet shoes (flexible flat leather or spandex shoes), pointe shoes, leg warmers, Tiger Balm, a Theraband, and KT Tape. She also has beauty essentials like a makeup bag filled with mascara and lip oil, an edge brush, and edge control. In her everyday, non-dance bag, however, Jefferson packs stress-relief spray, a comb, an eyebrow pencil, mascara, and Carmex lip balm, along with an extra pair of earrings, AirPods, a phone charger, breath mints, and more.
Shop Jefferson’s Beauty Edit
Saie Beauty
Glossybounce High-Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss Oil in Disco
Clarins
Lip Comfort Hydrating Oil in Pitaya
E.l.f. Cosmetics
Glow Reviver Lip Oil in Jam Session
Carmex
Classic Medicated Lip Balm
Annie International
Easy Style Professional 2 Way Boar Bristle Hair Brush
Kiss
Sweet Peach Edge Fixer Glued
Eucerin
Intensive Repair Body Lotion
