A Ballerina's Tale

I went to A Ballerina's Tale this morning and left loving Misty Copeland more than ever. On a technical level it's hardly a cinematic masterpiece (way too many title cards and talking head interviews), but the subject matter is inspiring and Copeland is so goddamn likeable that she easily overcomes the documentary's shortcomings.

Misty grew up one of six children in a very poor community. She was an extremely shy child and it wasn't until she started taking ballet lessons at age 13 that she found a place to blossom and find acceptance. She moved to New York at 17 to start work at ABT and she was the only black member in a company of 80. She talks about how she suddenly felt like an outsider in the one activity where she once found a home.

She is not only the first black principal at ABT, but the first black principal at ANY major international ballet company. I couldn't help but think about the diversity thread currently on the main board and how this film should be required viewing for some therein. They interviewed many (female) black dancers and Misty is very invested in making sure the pioneers before her have their stories told.

I love going to ABT performances, and you can bet I'll be purchasing each Copeland performance when it comes time to renew subscriptions.

To be precise. she is the first black FEMALE dancer to be a principal at ABT.

Desmond Richardson was made a principal the company in 1997. (He was also nominated for a Tony for Fosse in 1999. He was also in Movin' Out and After Midnight.)