"Dear candidate, thank you for your application to our ballet academy. Unfortunately, you have not been accepted. You lack the right feet, Achilles tendons, turnout, torso length, and bust."
This rejection letter from a prestigious ballet academy was delivered to a petite, African-American ballet prodigy, Misty Copeland. Starting ballet for the very first time at the age of 12, and going en pointe only a year later, she was surely a child prodigy, flawless in her techniques. This is later proven by her outstanding achievement as the first African-American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, despite her late start in her career. However, several ballet companies and ballet dancers did not see Copeland's potential as they believed that her body was not suitable for ballet.
Being born African-American, Misty Copeland's physique and ethnicity differed greatly from the plethora of classical ballet dancers who were lean and skinny, and most importantly, white. Although one may think that ballet, being under the performing arts category, is open for everyone to enjoy, world class ballet companies seeking for professional ballet dancers are very selective. Ballet has long been an art form enjoyed by the wealthy white, with an emphasis on lengthening which basically means slimming down until the same tutu can be worn with ten other dancers.
In her memoir "Life In Motion," Copeland describes the struggles she went through during her first few years in America Ballet Theatre. After puberty hit Copeland at the age of 19, she could no longer share the same costumes with other ballet dancers as she had bigger breasts, more defined curves, and bigger feet. Ballet teachers urged Copeland to slim down in order to become a truly professional ballerina, and Copeland herself also struggled to accept her drastically different body. However, she states that during this time of confusion, "the best piece of advice that I remember probably on a daily basis Is to accept everything about me that is different. That is what makes me special."
After several years as a professional ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland began to be appreciated by the company the way she is not by the way she is meant to be. In the end, Copeland's talent outshone her ethnic background, allowing her to break free from the rigid ethnic barriers of classical ballet. Misty Copeland rose to success rapidly, becoming the first African-American ballerina to be cast for Odette in "Swan Lake" and Clara in "The Nutcracker." Also renowned for her masterpiece "Firebird," Copeland has achieved the dream that many believed to be impossible and went further to establish the new definition of the correct body shape in the ballet world.
Misty Copeland's success story has encouraged many passionate young dancers of different color to continue fighting for their dreams. "You can dream big and it doesn't matter what you look like, where you came from," Copeland stresses to young dancers. Misty Copeland has played a leading role in changing the common perception of the correct ballet body and I hope the ballet body continues to evolve, making professional ballet an art form of all races and body types.
