“As the world changes, as it becomes more diverse, if the ballet world doesn’t evolve with him, then he’s going to die,” Misty Copeland told reporter Jenna Adae.
The American ballet star is one of the most famous black dancers in the world.
She says that after the death of George Floyd and the focus on Black Lives Matter, for the first time in her 20-year career, people are starting to listen to her on the issue of diversity within the industry. world ballet.
She became the first black woman to become the principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater in its 81-year history.
“There are so many communities that won’t support an art form that they don’t want them to be a part of it,” she says.
As part of Black History Month, Newsbeat also talks to other dancers about the importance of role models and preconceptions about body shape.
Filmed and edited by Matt Wareham.
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