| Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain and still succeed. ―Misty Copeland |
My heavens, the Sinners blues music and dance performance at the Oscars, amirite?! Wow!
And in perhaps the most exciting, jaw-dropping moment of all…the exquisitely graceful Misty Copeland, bursting into the limelight (and out of retirement) to close the performance, wearing a costume that represented her iconic Firebird role. As BET described it (in an Instagram post): “The legendary ballerina delivered a breathtaking moment that blended ballet, music, and cinematic storytelling reminding the world why she remains one of the most groundbreaking dancers of her generation.” This, after she underwent hip replacement surgery three months ago.
Copeland was recognized as a prodigy from early on, starting ballet at the ripe old age of 13 (most ballerinas start around 7, I hear), in free classes at the Boys & Girls Club in San Pedro, California. In a 2015 60 Minutes profile, Bill Whitaker covered Copeland’s incredible challenges and remarkable rise, along with her extraordinary talent. “It takes most ballerinas more than three years to get up on their toes,” explained Whitaker. “It took Misty Copeland three months.”
As an African-American ballet dancer, Copeland was in an exceedingly rare group. Among other indignities, as reported by The Story Exchange, she was pressured to use matte makeup to lighten her skin, she said, “over years and years.” Her first leading role at American Ballet Theatre (ABT), in Firebird (2012), was at the Metropolitan Opera House. During rehearsals, Copeland experienced significant pain in her left leg, though she divulged it to no one. The night of the performance, she said, “It hurt just to walk.” For most of her 25-year career at ABT, Copeland was the lone Black company member, and she wasn’t about to let this moment pass. She danced, and critics lauded her performance. Afterwards, however, she was forced to withdraw for seven months — the entirety of the season — when six stress fractures were discovered in her tibia.
Rebuilding, Copeland came roaring back in performances where she was described as “flawless” and “sublime” including, in 2015, a crowning success as “the first black ballerina to dance Odette/Odile in Swan Lake at the Met” (Wikipedia). I became aware of Copeland when she was promoted to principal ballerina at ABT on June 30, 2015 (just months after the 60 Minutes interview) — the first African-American woman to do so in ABT’s 75-year history.
These days, Copeland is working to spread the word that dance is for everyone. “You shouldn’t have to have a certain body type,” she says. “You shouldn’t have to have a certain color skin or be a specific age. If you have the right dedication and commitment and support – I think anyone should be able to do this.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m mad inspired! Let’s all do our part this week to let everybody know dance is for them, too. See exciting chances to extol the virtues of dance, at various classes and events, online at the Dance Calendar.
See you on the dance floor —Sean Donovan