Five, six, seven, eight are the beginning beats to the slow and quick movements a ballerina's day consist of; poise, grace and tradition.
Time and time again, we saw the same thin, light-complected girl being lifted into the air and dropped gracefully unto the floor; until now.
In Under Amour's 2014 athletic collection, a new campaign titled "I Will What I Want" was released featuring a dark, curvy and strong ballerina twirling around the stage; it was Misty Copeland.
The campaign was initially aimed towards admiring the pressure and valiant efforts athletic women go through to achieve greatness in their sport. Endorsing women of all ages and colors, UA launched a new line of sports wear and appreciation for color and talent in the athletic world. Copeland, along side other successful female athletes like Gisele Bundchen and Natasha Hastings, showed her strength and story into becoming the first black principle ballet dancer at American Ballet Theater, an elite dance company; a huge accomplishment for any dancer.
Starting her training on the basketball gym floor at the Boys and Girls Club in San Pedro, California, Copeland pushed the boundaries of common black stereotype's and went onto becoming one of ABT's most prized and talented dancers.
Unlike other endorsing athletic companies, Copeland was not described by her color rather by her achievements and strive for greatness which came to show ballet as equally intense and socially competitive. Using terms like "broke it", "cast a new one", "standout soloist" and "premiere ballerina", Copeland was not recognized by her stature or color, but by her athletic accomplishments.
Standing alongside other elite women, Copeland gives ballet a new coat of paint. A much needed new face for the coming of age and type of dancers the world needs to see.
Copeland changed the face of ballet by her constant dedication to the sport, herself and those around her. Because of UA's "I Will What I Want" advertisement of Copeland dancing and reaching around 9 million views on youtube, ballet will no longer be seen with perfect vision and consistent tradition. Rather, it is changing by the second and molding into a new form; a new movement is about to hit the floor.