https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzBcOByHpeY
Black ballet dancer Misty Copeland had the perfect, and most graceful, response for a critic who attacked her for a “fail” during a recent performance of Tchaicovsky’s “Swan Lake.”
Copeland, who’s the American Ballet Theatre’s first-ever Black principal dancer, received harsh words from a social media troll after she failed to complete a series of fouettés, or turns at a pivotal moment near the end of the historic ballet. As the lead,, Copeland was supposed to complete 32 turns but only managed to do 12.
“This is why @mistyonpointe is the WORST and why it’s an embarrassment to @ABTBallet to even have her on the roster, much less as a principal dancer,” a woman named Henrietta tweeted. “No wonder the rest of the world thinks American ballet is a joke.”
Copeland didn’t let the harsh rebuke bring her down and instead took it in stride, embracing the public criticism. She posted a screenshot of the nasty message and posted it to Instagram, telling fans she’ll always “be a work in progress and will never stop learning.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg3VEi2hWc-/
“I will always reiterate that I am by no means the best in ballet. I understand my position and what I represent,” Copeland wrote. “I know that I am in a very unique position and have been given a rare platform. All I’ve ever wanted is to bring ballet to more people and to help to diversify it.”
Copeland proceeded by expressing gratitude for all the opportunities she’s been afforded, including the “iconic” and demanding role of Swan Queen.
“As a Black woman and a Black ballerina, I would love to see all of the incredible deserving black dancers get the opportunities that I have,” she added. “I will forever be humbled and extremely grateful for the fact that I get to do what I love for a living, that I get to do all of the incredible roles that I do, in particular Swan Queen.”
Many fans came to the ballerina’s defense, applauding her on her beautiful performance, despite the on-stage faux pas.
