GREENSBORO, N.C. — A nonprofit is bringing natural hair to the center stage.

What You Need To Know

Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet honors natural hair

The goal is to encourage people to love their hair

Brooke Gilliam and her daughter are leading the show

The dance company Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet is encouraging people to love their hair.

In April, the company is presenting “The Hair Journey,” an original ballet that celebrates beauty, self-love and identity through the lens of Black hair.

“Hair Journey is about a little girl named Dorie, who goes through a process where she is currently wearing her hair, natural and brave and different natural styles,” Brooke Gilliam, the lead dancer, said. “And she comes to see her friends and other little girls her age, who are wearing their hair straight. And so, she goes through the journey of wanting to experience what her hair is like, straight and in different styles.”

Gilliam is dancing in the production with her 10-year-old daughter, Brevin. She said it’s an opportunity to celebrate natural hair.

“The importance of letting you wear your hair instead of letting your hair wear you. Whether you choose to wear your hair naturally or you want to add color, if you want to add extensions, embrace who you are as an individual and allow yourself to represent yourself,” she said. “Our hair has so many different meanings, and so the beauty of that is that we can change it up from straight. We can wear our hair naturally and it emphasizes who we are as individuals.”

The North Carolina Arts Council and Creative Greensboro are funding “The Hair Journey” ballet. The show kicks off at the UNC Greensboro auditorium on April 23.