It's Friday with ABT Soloist Misty Copeland

www.abt.org

About 4 or 5 years back, I was regularly seeing ballet performed by the American Ballet Theatre at Lincoln Center in the Metropolitan Opera House.  There was a lovely dancer with curves unlike any other dancer on point.  Who was this unusual ballerina?  Misty Copeland was then a member of the Corps de Ballet and fighting all stereotypes by being an African American dancer in a very tradition bound company. 

She has since become a soloist with ABT and is attracting her very own following of admirers.  I am unabashedly one of them.  With grace under critical and cultural fire, she exudes all the necessary ballet skill while demonstrating love for her art.  May she continue to rise in the ABT's ranks and become a principal dancer in the next year or two.  More importantly, may she continue to reshape the conversation around body type, ethnicity and stereotypes found in the ballet and arts in general. 

BRAVO, MISTY! 

One more thing - she has created a 2013 calendar that is both inspirational and incredibly awe jaw dropping.  Check out the Sneak a Peak link to her website.  It could be an incredible gift for some lucky young dreamer.