On Thursday night Misty Copeland and Brooklyn Mack danced a historic Swan Lake with the Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center. It was the first time ever that the two lead roles, Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried were both played by black dancers.
Misty said that Swan Lake was "not something I ever saw in my future, in terms of dancing the lead," and that "its incredible to be a brown swan."
Misty on preparing for the roles of Odette and Odile: "It takes so much out of you, not just physically. It's one of the most physically demanding roles in the repertoire. I feel like I've always connected with being that more fiery character, so I assumed Odile would be the one I connected with more, the black swan. But I've just fallen in love with Odette and I think the challenge for me, because I've been viewed, when you hear something over and over again from critics or the audience that you are not the soft, sylphlike dancer, it forces you to want to be that. It's been an amazing challenge and I can't wait to do it and show everyone."
Brooklyn Mack on being a role model: "At one time I was that kid looking up to somebody or trying to find someone to look up to. Not having anyone really who looks like you to look at can be disconcerting, at the least. I'm just hoping this performance will help to provide more hope and reinforcement for the youth. It's very important to give back and inspire this next generation, because that's the future. It shouldn't end with us. It has to keep going and grow and get better."
Sources: BBC, WJLA, NPR