{"id":39431,"date":"2015-04-20T14:15:19","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T18:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=39431"},"modified":"2021-05-15T06:17:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-15T10:17:50","slug":"misty-copeland-interview-ballerinas-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/misty-copeland-interview-ballerinas-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"Misty Copeland&#8217;s Interview: Struggles and Triumphs of a Black Ballerina"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_39435\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39435\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39435 size-full\" title=\"Misty Copeland\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042213\/Misty-Copeland_2.jpg\" alt=\"Misty Copeland\" width=\"620\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042213\/Misty-Copeland_2.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042213\/Misty-Copeland_2-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39435\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Under Armour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Misty Copeland\u2019s had a big year. After landing a partnership with Under Armour, the soloist with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abt.org\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Ballet Theater<\/a> was cast to star in <em>Swan Lake<\/em>, making her the first African-American dancer to perform the leading role in a major ballet company\u2019s production of the show. Then last week, <em>Time<\/em> magazine named her one of its <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/3823308\/misty-copeland-2015-time-100\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">100 Most Influential People<\/a> (and she\u2019s featured on one of the issue\u2019s five special covers). And just last night, the new documentary about her life, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aballerinastale.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>A Ballerina\u2019s Tale<\/em><\/a>, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Before the film, we talked with the ballerina about how she does it \u2014 nine-hour training days and all \u2014 along with the ups and downs of her journey through&nbsp;the classical ballet world.<\/p>\n<h3>Behind the Curtain with&nbsp;Misty&nbsp;Copeland<\/h3>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ddarrb8u7p8?rel=0\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>You\u2019ve had quite a week! How do you feel?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s amazing. I\u2019m just trying to take it all in. And I think it\u2019s going to take me some time. It\u2019s just been nonstop. I never ever thought in a million years that all this would be happening because of ballet.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>How did your documentary come about? Why did you want to do it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I met director <a href=\"https:\/\/nelsondgeorge.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nelson George<\/a> at this fun dinner party three years ago. He\u2019d never seen a ballet before, so I told him about an upcoming performance at ABT, the <em>Firebird.<\/em> He came to a show and said, \u201cI love it, We have to do something together.\u201d It was also the same night that I decided I had to pull out because I had a shin injury. He said, \u201cLet\u2019s film this process, you recovering from the injury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>What was it like to film that experience? Difficult, we imagine?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It couldn\u2019t have been a more perfect time. When I felt that I was at my lowest, he filmed me healing from my shin surgery and getting <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/no-equipment-back-exercises\/\"   title=\"back\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"510\">back<\/a> on stage, and all the incredible things that have come since. He started filming me before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.underarmour.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under Armour<\/a> \u2014 before a lot of the media success I\u2019ve had. He\u2019s now filmed that whole journey.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39433\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39433\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39433 size-full\" title=\"Misty Copeland\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042215\/Misty_Copeland_2C.jpg\" alt=\"Misty Copeland\" width=\"620\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042215\/Misty_Copeland_2C.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042215\/Misty_Copeland_2C-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Under Armour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>What was it like recovering from surgery for the stress fractures in your shin<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>? Did you really think you\u2019d be able to come back after it? It seemed like many people had doubts.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t tell myself that. I had to almost lie to myself because I didn\u2019t know what was going to happen. I had to say, \u201cYou\u2019re going to,\u201d and just keep working. Every time I see the film, I still get so emotional when I see how dark that time was for me. People were there for me but also didn\u2019t know how to comfort me because they didn\u2019t know what the future was going to hold. It was a very emotional thing to experience and now re-experience every time I watch it. To see how far I\u2019ve come, it\u2019s really cool. You get so caught up in the pain you feel every day that you forget at one point it was much worse.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/best-blogs-weight-loss-motivation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">9 Bloggers Who Changed Their Lives One Post at a Time<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>What do you hope people take away from the film?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I want them to learn about how racism is so ingrained in the classical ballet world. It\u2019s so separated from many other art forms in that respect. We talk to older dancers in the film too, and hearing stories about their experiences and then seeing the effect it\u2019s having on a new generation of dancers \u2014 it\u2019s powerful.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Do you still hear any negativity, in terms of your race, or has what you\u2019ve accomplished helped you overcome that?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen a big shift, I think because of the media attention I\u2019ve gotten. The focus and spotlight is on the ballet world in a way it never has been before \u2014 with the topic of diversity. The ballet world is being pushed to make changes. But I don\u2019t know that I will ever see [racism] go away in classical ballet in my lifetime. It\u2019s so ingrained in the culture. I see it not so much in my circle or company or to my face, but I still hear negative things. Still, it\u2019s an exciting time, especially for brown ballerinas.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>You rehearse from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days. What are your tips for staying energized through that much activity?<br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39432\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39432\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39432 size-full\" title=\"Misty Copeland\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042216\/Misty_Copeland_2B.jpg\" alt=\"Misty Copeland\" width=\"620\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042216\/Misty_Copeland_2B.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/10042216\/Misty_Copeland_2B-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39432\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Under Armour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019ll eat a bagel or muffin when I wake up, and then during the day, I snack on dried fruit, lots of nuts, and something light like sushi in the afternoon.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Do you cross-train on top of that?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I do. I take <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/dailyburn-pilates-workout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pilates mat classes<\/a>, gyrotonics classes. I do some <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/swimming-workouts-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">swimming<\/a> as well. And if I have any off-season time, I\u2019ll do cardio on the elliptical to keep my stamina up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/core-pilates-moves-beginner-pilates-workout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">7 Easy Pilates Moves For a Beginner Core Workout<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Recovery must be a big part of your schedule, too. What do you do in that regard?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have to see chiropractors and get <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/sports-massage-benefits-harm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">massages<\/a>. I\u2019ll do it as much as I can. As much as we work to get the muscles to react a certain way and train to be in top form, we also have to get the muscles to release.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>You\u2019ve come back from injury, signed with Under Armour, become the first African-American to star as the leading role in Swan Lake\u2026 It\u2019s safe to say you\u2019ve accomplished so much in the past three years. What goals do you have for the future?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Just to stay really focused on my career and to be the best artist I can be, the best <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/dance-inspired-yoga-moves\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dancer<\/a> I can be \u2014 not compared to what other dancers have done before me or will do in the future. I want to get the word out there about ballet and to help continue the conversations about diversity in ballet.<\/p>\n<p><em>To read more about the work Misty does to diminish race boundaries in ballet, check out <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abt.org\/education\/projectplie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Project Pli\u00e9<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At her documentary premiere, A Ballerina\u2019s Tale, Misty Copeland shares the ups and downs of being African-American in a predominantly Caucasian sport. 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