It's a European art form, and you're used to seeing a certain type of person as a ballerina. And I don't look like a lot of the girls around me.

I wanted to open the dialogue about race in ballet and bring more people in. It's just beautiful to see the interest that has exploded for such an incredible art form that I will forever be grateful to!

When people meet me in person, they're usually surprised at how petite I am because there's this idea that because I'm black, I just look a certain way.

Emotions are the basics of any art form!

But... watching Steven Barnes taught me to treat my life like an art form.

I think that the ideal physique and look of a ballerina is always changing with different eras. And it's continuing to change.