Are ballerinas athletes?
Allow Misty Copeland to answer that for you in this new Under Armour commercial.
As inspiring as the ad is on its own, it is even more compelling after learning a little bit more about the back story of Copeland.
At 13, she was inspired by watching a Lifetime biopic on gymnast Nadia Comaneci. She took up an introductory dance class at the Boys & Girls Club of America. Three months later, they were calling her a prodigy, which is even more astonishing when you consider that 13 is about seven or eight years older than most children who take up the sport.
Copeland stunned the industry when she continued to excel. She does not have the sought-after look of a professional ballerina – her breasts are too large, her feet are too long, and she has a muscular body structure – but that didn’t stop her from going on to make history.
Misty Copeland became the second black soloist ever in the American Ballet Theatre.
