I don't think this is quite fair. This is what ballet enthusiasts do because they *love* this art. Although a lot of us take class and have dance experience, not all do, but I'll say again---you don't have to be able to do technical feats like Odile's 32 fouettes (not necessarily, anyway) to understand when they're being done incorrectly or to see that a dancer lacks the technical strength to accomplish them. I don't think I'm seeing hate for Copeland in a lot of the criticisms here and elsewhere as much as concern for a talent perhaps pushed too far too fast.

@Michele Ellis Your belief can be whatever you want it to be. 🤷🏾 I just sincerely hope you have a nice day. 🌻

As someone else said, it’s not about hating on a black dancer. It’s solely to do with her lack of talent.

Fouettes seemed a little fast for her-- I'd have liked a breath to see the attitude before the next developpe came...but she was a student-- you dance to the music as it's played at that stage.

Like Kim Yona (Korean skater), she can't make complete rotations...

You're an idiot.

I know a lot of people comment this way---you can't do this, so shut up. I'm feeling more and more that this is not relevant. I agree that dance critics and members of the public (I'm both) should not just pan without reason, but if you know the art you're commenting on (dancers around here love me because I "get" their world and their efforts, having taken class and danced for 20 years and really immersed myself in the dance world when I lived in NYC) I'm not sure I need to be able to do, for example, 32 fouettes on pointe to know when they're being done correctly or when a dancer's technique is just not strong enough to handle them. She shows wonderful promise in this video (my only comment would be on her left arm [the one in high 5th] in the Russian fouettes---it's obscuring her face and could be placed better). Her feet are a little weak but her phrasing is lovely. That's my 2 cents, anyway.

Laura Streeter I was trying to decide how to quantify this, and you hit the nail on the head here. She seems to have so much potential in this video you would have expected a lot more of her as she matured as an artist. OTOH there's a big difference between doing one variation well and having the strength and stamina to do a full-length. I felt as you did about R&J, good but acting seemed a little one-dimensional, esp compared to Bolle. What kept driving me insane was (I know I've said this before on one of these threads) the sense that she's sinking down in her pointe shoe (standing leg) when she balances. Gelsey Kirkland used to do this in her decline when she no longer had the strength to maintain even an assisted balance but kept softening her shoes to the same extent she did when she was still on top of her game. And I think what keeps drawing me back into the discussion (other than to say hello to you) is the extent to which I feel betrayed because I initially bought into the whole story of finally an African-American principal woman at ABT. In the first interview I saw with her, she was talking about being rejected by one of the professional schools for a bunch of reasons like started too late, short, ropey muscles, etc, which she interpreted for the interviewer as code for "You're black." I fell for that hook, line, and sinker. After all, Makarov started at about 13 and, although dance is my art and I love it, I realize the ballet world tends to be less than ethnically diverse. I also thought I knew what an ABT principal should look like, and what a principal in 2016 ff. would/should look like. Kevin did some great things for the company, and maybe he was thinking of how Misty's promotion could revitalize the company financially? I was completely disillusioned by this and by the number of fans who think most of what I've seen is good classical ballet. Sigh...

@Laura Streeter You are a very special brand of something brown and smelly dripping from a stick. You need a life with some love in it so you won't have time or inclination to follow this woman around criticizing her in every doggoned video. I can't believe how many of Misty's videos I watched just today and found you in every one of them spewing your venom all over the comments over and over again. There is something seriously wrong with you. Take your meds and crawl back under your rock.

@@minissa2009 I have a lot of admiration for Misty Copland, but judging from the videos I think I agree with you. I am truly saddened to hear about the financial aspect of all of this. I hope that she will continue to develop as an artist, and continue to improve. I did not the acting good in Romeo Juliet either, I did think her technique was good, but the artistry, not yet. I really hope grows into the principal dancer we expect. In the meantime I think the director has done everyone a disservice.

Ho Yan Law you shouldn't be caring at all because you're not dancing

Not perfect? You’re insane

no perfect ? don't understand what you mean .

Well you have 2 more years to go 😉

I gasped!

what do you mean? how is she a "second stringer"?

vicky kasel that's so rude why can't you just say your opinion in your head? It really ruins it for everyone else

She was in the “corpse “?😂 She makes American ballet look shabby. Sad but true.

She does modern ballet bc abt makes her bc her body does it very easily. I’ve watched her perform twice and it’s very good my mom cried, she’s a beautiful artist

she can't do classics.

@@lalalalala9451 why does her body do modern better?

Laura Streeter no no, I’m not saying she amazing on point, but for somebody who only started at 13 she is a pretty good dancer.

Laura Streeter hm. You have a fair point. If you want to see somebody who felt with racism and is still a spectacular dancer you should look into Maria Tallcheif. She started dancing at 6.

Laura Streeter Haha, yes. She has a couple books out too. She really is an amazing dancer. But as dancers go Misty Copeland isn’t the best, but for starting at 13 and mainly using her fame to help with racial issues, she really is a good dancer

Yes. She has great story. But is she a great ballerina? I'm trying to decide!

Quando tu for a principal do American Ballet Theatre noix conversa

Thank you for inviting people to post vids of her. I'm trying to close my eyes and ears to the bad hype and judge for myself, but there's so little to go on! Often, this is not a good sign. There are snippets of her within documentaries or news magazine interviews, but it's not much to go on. It's like the (1978 I think?) movie "The Turning Pointe." Gelsey Kirkland had been replaced by Leslie Browne who, although a soloist at ABT, was not extremely strong technically (she eventually made principal and definitely deserved it by then). If you look closely, you see full body shots of Baryshnikov and a lot of the other dancers. With Browne, you got a face, a foot going on and off pointe, etc when she was doing more difficult stuff like the coda from Don Q. I'm working my way through the R&J she did with Bolle at La Scala, so that's something where you can see her do a whole ballet. Granted, not the technical challenge of Swan Lake...

R&J was choreographed on Lynn Seymour, who unlike Copeland, could dance Swan Lake without watering down the steps. Also Seymour took a lot of heat for being an unconventional body for ballet. More so than Copeland. But she wasn't a minority, so the comments were fair game on her. Copeland had favored status from the start which is why her yipping about discrimination is a joke.

​@@kerrytakashi12 You may not like her dancing, but to say she has not faced discrimination is ignorant and laughable.

Um---she did (obviously writing after she was promoted).

She was not able to do the 32 fouettes of the Black Swan... A lot of debate about that and her (lack of) technique in Twitter... Still... The lady has an obvious talent at selling tickets... and selling herself, and that, is quite important for a ballet company.... That said, her response to haters was quite classy.

@@chiyunlulu They're not 'haters'.

I agree...circus artist...performing elephant. Thank you for your comment.

@@ceceliaclarke9147 I see that you have comparision with yourself as elephant XD

@@ceceliaclarke9147 She looks too heavy. It’s like she never learned to lift up in the pelvis. I forgot the terminology because it’s been ages since I’ve danced, etc.

she tries and achieved her goal

As a musician and not a ballet expert, the thing that matters to me most is time and balance when it comes to technique. Maybe you don't like certain aspects of her technique here, and I respect that, but my feel is if a pianist gives a mesmerizing performance and communicates that with precision elegance and control, then does it matter if they aren't 'hitting the keys right'? I'm not familiar with proper form in ballet, so form that is not entirely conformant doesn't bother me, but slight inaccuracies in timing does though

@@skybirdnomad sure. Go on and lower the standards.

I have never heard or read her blame any lacking of success on her 'race'; she has discussed particulars of physicality, including skin color and physique, that pertain to both ethnic heritage and traditional balletic conventions, but I haven't heard her use those factors as excuses for anything; they are merely part of the equation, as they are for any dancer. I don't see how you can seriously refer to a "lack of success" for Ms. Copeland, as if she's had none, given all she's achieved; of course she works and hopes for more. Perhaps what you're referring to by that phrase is the fact that she has not yet achieved the desired rank of principal with ABT. Whether or not she ever does, she will have had a great deal of success. My only problem with Misty C., vis-à-vis considerations of ethnic or 'racial' heritage, is that, too often (and not only from her), when she or some others talk about her particular issues and her career, I get a picture of a world where she is almost the absolute, lone, pioneer, as if there had never been a Janet Collins, or Raven Wilkinson (though she and Misty C. have become friends, and Misty speaks with great admiration of her; it's just that then, in other contexts, Misty still speaks almost as if Ms. Wilkinson hadn't had the career she did), or Virginia Johnson, Lydia Abarca, Stephanie Dabney, Debra Austin, Lauren Anderson, Nora Kimball, Alicia Graf, or all the women of Dance Theatre of Harlem, past and present, not to mention the all too rare, but definitely existent, other female ballet dancers of African heritage working currently, including Céline Gittens, who danced Odette/Odile with the Birmingham Royal in England in 2012, with an African heritage, British dancer named Tyrone Singleton as Siegfried. It's complex, because I have heard her refer to and acknowledge some of these (for instance, that Ms. Kimball was the first African heritage, regular contract female soloist with American Ballet Theatre, and that Lauren Anderson danced Odette/Odile with Houston Ballet some years ago), but then she, or others talking about her, will speak in ways that don't really acknowledge all that history and current dancing of others. I do think that, whatever else has gone on or is currently happening, Misty faces particular challenges and probably frustrations, being in the position she's in (as well as some good stuff), and she's had things to deal with that most ballet students don't have in their ways, so I wish her ever more strength, success and happiness in her dancing, and life in general. I am a fan, and hope to get to see her dance in person again sometime, and in a lead role.

Well, you know what they say, "haters gonna hate" I believe the applause from the audience stated otherwise. I'm just saying. She is very successful dispute her, "awkward movements."

Zephaniah Bedford Agreed. I've read much speculation that Misty C. might well be promoted in ABT before the autumn season, given the retirement of 3 of their longtime, top female principals (Julie Kent, Paloma Hererra, and Xiomara Reyes).

Nicole Aarons you do realize this performance was after only a couple years of dance experience right? Most dancers don't even get to pointe within the amount of time she spent training prior to this performance...

I'm sure you can do so much better! :)! Hater... Ugh

you sound a little butthurt, and... jealous? "The port de bras still needs work..." yeah right. You wish you had port de bras like hers

True. it comes across as petty to whine every chance she gets how she wants to be promoted, and to use the race as an alleged reason. whining is not gonna get her promotion for sure, maybe more work would. anyhow, its unlikely she will get promoted at this age anyway.

I have seen and read many of her interviews and all I have ever heard from her are positive affirmations. I have never once seen her complain about not being a principal

jdjeff76 the hateration will always be poured and plentiful. Yes?

Speaking up and using her voice to advocate for the black community in addition to stating facts about her journey to becoming the first black female principal within the 75 year history of an elite ballet company are not at all the same thing as complaining and playing the victim card.

OMG you are so funny. Ever think about being a comedian?

@@teekay7460 me in comedy would be like Misty in ballet, ...awkward, but thank you for saying that.

No not wrong...except that there are dudes in the dance world who are way more graceful. Awkward is a good word for describing this so-called performance.

Trockadero material I think.