Neveah Stroyer

> "*They brought me here to change ballet, but ballet's changing me right back.*"
> ― Neveah in *Push Comes to Shove*
>
>

**Neveah Stroyer** is a character on Netflix's *Tiny Pretty Things*. She is portrayed by Kylie Jefferson.

She is the rebel with raw talent and fierce determination who looks to rise above her roots and find a future in the world of ballet Laurent without losing her unique and fiery approach to dance. Neveah is staring down the greatest opportunity of her life – a chance to be a student of the Archer School of Ballet as a last-minute dancer.

## Early Life

Neveah was born in Illinois to Martin and Makayla Stroyer. Her home life was quiet and normal, though her parents did struggle with some financial issues. Tragedy struck the Stroyer family when Martin unexpectedly died from a heart attack, leaving Neveah and her older brother Tyler in the care of their now single mother. Makayla was never the same after the loss of her husband and bounced around with jobs and men. When Neveah was ten, her mother dated a man named Gregory Gonzalez who was abusive towards Makayla. One night, Gregory was abusing Makayla when Tyler intervened to stop them and was hit in the process. Armed with a baseball bat that Gregory had been wielding, Makayla struck Gregory over the head and ultimately killed him. When the police arrived, they assumed Tyler was to blame for the death and shot him which resulted in a permanent spinal injury, confining him to the use of a wheelchair. Makayla was sentenced to prison for second-degree murder, while Neveah and Tyler were sent to live with their Grandmother in Inglewood, California. When her Grandmother died, Neveah was left in the care of Tyler before her unexpected acceptance at The Archer School of Ballet.

## Throughout the Series

### Season 1

Neveah is getting prepped for class when her dance teacher tells her that Chicago has changed their mind and she’s being relocated. As Neveah arrives at The Archer School of Ballet, Officer Cruz wishes her good luck. In her first class, her new ballet instructor Topher Brooks gives her constant feedback on her poses and asks her to show up with better attire and pointe shoes. In the pointe shoe closet, Neveah meets Bette Whitlaw who belittles her by calling her a “petit rat”. She’s called into Monique DuBois’ office and instructed to attend the donor reception party that evening. Neveah isn't thrilled with the idea but obliges, though Bette's harsh words at the party cause her to second guess her choices. With help from her brother, as well as Nabil Limyadi and Shane McRae, she is able to believe in herself once more.

Neveah starts her next class on the right foot, learning that her dance partner for the term will be Oren Lennox, Bette's boyfriend. The class is observed by Monique and renowned choreographer Ramon Costa, as Ramon is planning to choreograph this term showcase. When Bette and Shane's routine turns sour, Neveah and Oren take the opportunity to show that they have been paying attention. Everyone in the room takes notice of her talent, which inspires Ramon to stay and do the show. When Neveah returns to her room and begins unpacking, she finds a white rose under her pillow with a note which reads, “*it’s your turn to fly.*”

Neveah begins to bond with her roommate, June Park, whose mother doesn't approve of her being a dancer and is threatening to pull her out of ASB if she doesn't secure a principal rose. In turn, Neveah tells June about what the white rose and the weirdness she's been feeling from the other dancers. June tries to warn her about the rose, pointing out the parallel to the flower Cassie was holding the night she was pushed. The girls then agree to help each other in their dancing - Neveah needs help to learn the bar routines while June needs help relaxing during her dances. In class, Ramon shortlists Neveah, June, their partners, and several other girls for a principal dancer. During the first rehearsal with Ramon, Neveah and Oren's performance isn't as show stopping as before, causing Ramon to call out their inconsistency. Later she frantically searches for her ballerina trinket and pinpoints that blame on June, but June denies having taken it. That night, Neveah and Oren go out to a nightclub to loosen up and blow off some steam with Shane, June, Nabil, Caleb.

Later Bette shows up at the club and sees her and Oren dancing together. On the way back to the school, they wind up fighting against a group of teens who are homophobic towards Shane and offensive towards them dancing. Officer Cruz shows up after a panicked 911 call by June and asks Neveah about the white rose she received. Neveah is pissed that June told officer Cruz about the rose and storms off. Back at the school, Neveah yanks June out of the showers. She yells at her for talking to Cruz and accuses her of stealing the ballerina again and finds her ballerina inside June’s record player. She’s called into Madame DuBois’ office, who tells her that she’s ruined her chance at a solo. Cruz arrives in Cassie’s hospital room and warns Neveah to watch her back.

Selena arrives in class to announces that they have been invited to the City Work’s opening ballet for half-price balcony seats. Neveah and Nabil volunteer to be ushers to attend for free. At City Works Theatre, Neveah is suspicious of Nabil after he volunteered. Delia then asks Neveah and Nabil to perform for her, but she is resisting him while dancing. She lashes out at him, and he realizes she thinks he pushed Cassie, he storms off. Feeling bad for what happened earlier she visits him on the roof and gives him a torn picture of Cassie she found in her old dresser. He ends up getting pissed at Neveah for showing him the picture. Nabil’s reaction motivates her to search his room with Caleb’s help. They find Cassie’s bikini torn to shreds.

While she's on the phone with Tyler, someone pushes her in front of a bus. When she looks back, the first person she sees is Nabil. She goes to officer Cruz with her new findings and the bus incident. At the opening ballet, Caleb admits to Neveah that he pushed Nabil into Neveah. While sitting in the back row, Nabil explains to her why he strongly reacts to the image. Back at school, Neveah finds Shane crying and tries to comfort him. The next day, She, June, Bette approach Maricel Park and hand over letter regarding June's emancipation. Later, Neveah arrives at Cassie’s room and finds Nabil already there, and apologizes to him. Afterward, Nabil holds Neveah’s hand and ends up kissing her.

Nabil and Neveah rush into the hospital as they see Cassie go into septic shock. Nabil is devastated when he sees her seizing and turns to Neveah for comfort. Suddenly, Nabil feels he is betraying Cassie and pushes Neveah away. While getting fitted for their Ripper costumes, she notices prints of the Jack the Ripper concept art. She’s not thrilled by it. Shane warns her not to go up against Ramon. In rehearsal, she takes a stand against Ramon and she then mentions the negative review about his latest performance. He snaps and throws a ball at her, barely missing her and shattering one of the mirrors behind her. Neveah takes her concerns about Ramon to Monique, but Monique doesn't take any action against Ramon. Neveah tries to rally the girls to write down anything they’ve experienced they think is unfair to change things at the Archer. None of them are willing to stand with her. The next day during rehearsal, Ramon pissed and calls Bette out on impersonating a choreographer. Afterward, she decides to join Neveah to do something about Ramon. Bette shows Neveah the other half torn photo of Cassie with Ramon on it. They bring it to Delia, she already knew. Later the girls have a meeting about Ramon in the lounge. The next day in class, the girls plan a silent protest, refusing to dance or talk to Ramon. Eventually, Ramon gets frustrated and storms out. He goes to Monique and demands her to get the girls in line. In the halls, Ramon threatens to ruin Neveah's future, but she shows him the photo of him and Cassie and walks off. The next day in class, Ramon returns and decides to collaborate with the dancers for a brand new spin on this tale.

Neveah is pulled away from class for a call from her Mother, who is in prison. Makayla claims she wants to work on their relationship. Neveah doesn’t intend to meet with her, but Shane encourages her to go and accompanies her to the prison. There, she learns that the main reason her Makayla wanted to see her is because of her upcoming parole hearing. Neveah is upset, assuming that her mom only reached out to her to use her because of her recent publicity in the Archer Ballet article. Eventually Neveah shows up at the parole hearing and decides to make a statement on her mother’s behalf. She admits that she felt alone and went through a dark time and gives an impassioned plea to free her Mother, given she too was a victim of this crime. Later, Neveah admits to Tyler that she’s glad she went to the parole hearing.

To support Neveah, her Makayla visits the school and thanks Monique for giving her daughter a chance. After performing for Sienna Milken, she invites Neveah, Bette and Nabil for the ensemble. That evening, Makayla takes Neveah out but she is worried that her focus won’t be on the ballet and she’ll lose her chance to shine. At the music video shoot, Sienna is not impressed with Neveah and Bette and asks Nabil to do it solo. Makayla suggests that she might get a janitor job at the Archer, she tells Makayla that she doubts Monique would hire an ex-con. Tyler calls Neveah out on her attitude, begging her to let their mother love her. The next day, Neveah makes amends with her mother and takes her to the local museum. Her mother decides to let her have her life in Chicago while she plans to move back to California.

Neveah helps Paige get a morning-after pill. She, June and Bette decide to take matters into their own hands to get revenge on Travis. They plan a recorder on June before she returns to the lounge to meet with Travis. In the act he reveals all the club secrets to June. June continues pressing Travis for more information until he realizes she’s recording him as Bette and Neveah listen in from outside. Bette and Neveah break in to rescue June and get out the lounge. On their way back to school, Bette, under the influence of painkillers, crashes her car. Officer Cruz, Delia and Oren show up. Cruz let them get away in exchange to get access Bette's computer. The next day, Oren tells Neveah a secret in the dance studio.

## Physical Appearance

A tall, black girl with braided hair. Usually in a high ponytail. A small face with big eyes.

## Personality

Neveah is a determined and fierce young woman with confidence in her abilities and her place at The Archer School of Ballet. She is not easily intimidated by her cruel classmates and stands up for herself when verbally attacked. However, the attacks do take a toll on her causing her to momentarily doubt her abilities. Luckily, her newfound friends help her remember that she belongs.

## Appearances

### Season 1

* Corps
* Range of Motion
* Class Act
* Dance Dance Revolution
* Split Sole
* Joie de Vivre
* Catch and Release
* Relevé
* It's Not the Walking, It's the Rising
* Push Comes to Shove

## Trivia

* In the books Neveah's name is Gigi Stewart, she grew up in California, she's allergic to fish, and she suffers from ventricular septal defect after being diagnosed as a baby.
* She wears a size five double X pointe shoe. Her first notable pair of shoes were Delia Whitlaw's rejected dance shoes.
* From her arrival at The Archer School of Ballet, Neveah suffers from vivid nightmares about Cassie Shore and the students at the institution.
* The ballerina she carries is the only gift that her mother, Makayla Stroyer, ever gave her. It also serves as her pre-dance ritual, as rubbing the ballerina allows her to center herself and clear her mind.
* In the books Gigi's parents are married and they're afraid that dancing will be too much for her heart.
* One of the reasons why she applied to The Archer School of Ballet was because Delia Whitlaw went there.
* Neveah was ten years old when her mother was arrested.
* Aside from ballet, Neveah also dances hip hop.
* Before she started dancing, Neveah took gymnastics.

## References

1. ↑ Makayla was arrested when Neveah was 10 and served six years. This makes Neveah 16-years-old.
2. ↑ "*Corps*"
3. ↑ "*Range of Motion*"
4. ↑ "*Class Act*"
5. ↑ "*Dance Dance Revolution*"
6. ↑ "*Split Sole*"
7. ↑ "*Joie de Vivre*"
8. ↑ "*Catch & Release*"