“Ballet: something pure in this crazy world”

– says Misty Copeland. She is a hero but spiritual one.

Misty is the first African American female principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre and a writer of the book Black Ballerinas.

My Journey to Our Legacy about racism in the ballet and stereotypes as “Black people are not able to do ballet.”

It is interesting that Prince invited her on the tour, Spike Lee dreamed about her as an actress in his movie and Barack Obama asked her for advices about “Black pioneers in the fields and institutions dominated by Whites.”

Misty landed on the cover Time magazine, too.

Nowadays she is not ashamed to say that is addicted to Prosecco with a splash of Saint Germain, Taco Bell nachos with no meat and Krispy Kreme.

But let’s talk about racism – fragile and sensitive topic at the world classical dance scene with unwelcoming atmosphere. In her book she illuminates the lives of 27 brown and black dancers.

“The ballet world doesn’t really celebrate or have women of color. I still feel like I’m so grateful for the journey that I’ve been on and for the opportunities that I have now.”

One of her first memory is about black ballerina Raven Wilkinson: “ I had this awakening. I didn’t even know she existed. I was like, “Oh my God, I have this bigger purpose that I never even realized”.

Her mission is to bring to change the image of ballet and to stop spreading the concept that:

”You don’t have the right skin color for ballet”.

Is it possible to hear this in the modern world?

When 13 years old Misty stepped into the ballet world was with the right body proportions and type. But when she entered American Ballet Theatre she was told that she didn’t have the right body and the right proportions.

“That’s language that’s used that the ballet world can get away with because you’re in a visual art form, it’s about your aesthetic, and it’s subjective, so that’s what they say to Black and Brown dancers to disguise saying, ‘You don’t have the right skin color for ballet”.

Right skin for ballet?

But what about tights and shoes for ballet? Even ballet shoe maker Freed created the UK’s first pointe shoes for darker skin tones! Or what about “pancake makeup” ? “It’s the little things that make you feel like you don’t belong.”

But the things change step by step.

In 2018 Misty Copeland appeared in Disney’s production The Nutcracker and the Four Realm.

“Everyone goes to the movies. It’s a place where you can dream and fantasize. For the cast to be as diverse as it is  so amazing, and for the next generation to see a brown ballerina in Disney’s Nutcracker film; that will live on.

And hopefully sooner than 30 years from now people will say

‘That’s what a ballerina looks like!’

And not ‘Oh, that’s a black ballerina, that’s so rare!’ That to me is so empowering…that’s what Disney movies have done for me growing up.

For people to see representations and endless opportunities for themselves…that’s what I hope people take away.”

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