Misty Copeland claps back @ haters

If any of yall thought Ballet wasn't a dramatic life, yall thought wrong.

Earlier this week, a video surfaced on Youtube of american ballerina Misty Copeland. On said video, Misty makes a mistake during the 3rd act of Swan Lake, during the iconic 32 fouettes. Misty is unable to recover enough to complete the 32 turns and instead improvises her way into her exit. She does so as well as she possibly can and unless you know exactly what is supposed to happen there, you wouldn't know.
The video, originally titled "Misty Copeland fouette fail", has since been retitled and is here:



This prompted some racist reactions from bunheads and balletomanes, but trailblazer Misty Copeland didn't let them keep her down



On 2 IG posts, Misty shared one of her hater comments and wrote her opinion:

Link in my profile. I’m happy to share this because I will forever be a work in progress and will never stop learning. I learn from seeing myself on film and rarely get to. So thank you. I will always reiterate that I am by no means the best in ballet. I understand my position and what I represent. I know that I’m 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. I’ve worked extremely hard to be where I am and I believe that what I bring to the table is authentic artistry with a unique point of view through my life experiences, and my unusual path and upbringing. Also as a black woman and black ballerina. I would love to see all of the incredible deserving black dancers get the opportunities that I have. 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. There are so many ballerinas that never get to experience dancing the most iconic and demanding role in a ballerinas repertoire. I have so so so much respect for what I do and for the ballerinas I stand on the shoulders of. I’m in awe everyday that I am a part of such an incredible art form that has changed and enriched my life in so many ways and that I get to do it all with ABT. I don’t decide who’s promoted or what roles I dance. I never envisioned myself as the Swan Queen after being in the company for almost 15 years before i was given the opportunity. I have such deep and conflicting feelings connected to Swan Lake. As a black woman and as a ballerina given the chance to take on this role. I often question if I deserve to perform this role. My conclusion, I do. Some of the most memorable Swan Queens in history have brought so much more to this role without having to present the incredible and evolved technique of today by doing insane tricks that bring some to see Swan Lake. For the anticipated 32 fouettés. But it is so much more than that.

A post shared by Misty Copeland (@mistyonpointe) on Mar 28, 2018 at 4:03am PDT

Link in my profile. People come to see ballet for the escape. For the experience of being moved through our movement and artistry, not to score us on the technicality of what we do. This is why ballet is not a sport. A ballerinas career is not, nor should be defined by how many fouettés she executes. They are a part of the choreography to tell a story of pulling off the entrancement she holds over prince Siegfried. The point is to finish the 3rd act with a whirlwind movement that sucks him in just one last time before it’s revealed that Odile is not Odette. This is the incredible beauty of ballet. To move people. I’m happy to have this dialogue because it’s something I believe in whole heartedly. The history of ballet and it’s origin of pure freedom and expression is what we need to hold onto. Not to come into the theatre as a critic armed with judgement. I do appreciate the changes in the ballet technique, focused on evolving our technical abilities, but the point is to move people and for them to understand the stories we tell through dance. And that is an incredible responsibility and opportunity I will never take for granted.

A post shared by Misty Copeland (@mistyonpointe) on Mar 28, 2018 at 4:04am PDT

Other dancers came to Misty's defense as well, including Royal Ballet fan favorite Steve McRae:

BRAVO @mistyonpointe 👌 . Misty unfortunately was on the receiving end of one of the ever growing breed of critics that hide behind their computer screens trolling the efforts of fellow human beings..... I salute the passionate and eloquent response by Misty (which I recommend you read on her profile). Misty is at the forefront of inspiring not only the next generation but people of all ages. The work Misty continues to do on and off stage is adding more humanity to a world that needs as much as possible right now and thankfully the world of Dance is an extraordinary language to communicate globally and ultimately inspire people through celebrating life - Full respect to you Misty 👏 . . . . Photo taken with Misty after I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with her at @abtofficial 📸 #stevenmcrae #mistycopeland #ballet #dance #inspiration #ballerina #artist #art #humanity #life #instagood

A post shared by Steven McRae (@stevenmcrae_) on Mar 28, 2018 at 12:19pm PDT

It's worth noting that when other dancers have had issues happen to them on stage, fans usually praise them for their composure and how quickly they get back into their groove and keep going.



Sources: video
1|2|3

I'm working on an ONTD Original for you guys but I couldn't let this slide, she was so damn classy. Even if she's not my favorite because I never see her dance, and even tho I'm not fond of ABT, this was so ridic and says more about ballet fans than about Misty