Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" Depending on the level you're at in your company, the higher you go up in rank, usually the longer you can dance. "

Related Quotes:

" You have to be the one promoting yourself. If you don't think that you're worthy, you're never going to make it. "

" Though I have tremendous support from lots of people, there are so many others waiting to tear me down. "

" Don't hold on to the barre like, 'I might die.' It's just ballet. "

" I say over and over again that I am just standing on the shoulders of so many who have set this path for me, and they may not be seen or recognized or have been given an opportunity to have a voice, but I'm here representing all of those dancers. Dance Theatre of Harlem Virginia Johnson, Tai Jimenez, Lauren Anderson. "

" When I was younger, my feet would hurt a lot, but you build up calluses and strength, and you don't feel as much pain there. But then again, it's a give and take. The older you get, you may feel pain in your back or your hips. "

" Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance is incredible. It takes a lot to make it through and keep the same energy throughout the entire performance. "

" I've gotten nothing but warmth from the Black community and positive feedback. "

" I think that having a platform and having a voice to be seen by people beyond the classical ballet world has really been my power, I feel. "

" I don't eat a ton of pasta or bread. But I eat dessert almost every night, and I drink. You need a bit of balance, and I've found mine. "

" Being one of the few African American women to make it to this level in a classical ballet company, the level of American Ballet Theatre, takes a lot of perseverance. "

" I know that I'm talented, and I know that I'm not in American Ballet Theater because I'm black - I'm here because I'm a gifted dancer. "

" I was on a path. I was going to become a principal dancer. I never let my mind rest. "

" I want to bring awareness to the lack of diversity in ballet, and feel like that's a large part of my purpose. "

" I think American Ballet Theatre is setting that standard now for classical ballet, that you can dream big, and it doesn't matter what you look like, where you come from, what your background is. "

" A young girl reached out to me to be her mentor one day, which I didn't really know anything about. What I did remember was what it was to be alone as an African-American dancer in the ballet world and wanting to connect with someone who looks like me. "

" 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 wake up every morning, and I go to ballet class no matter what's going on the night before. That's my priority, and that's what makes me feel sane and not removed from the realities of my world. "

" When I was dancing, I felt in control and happy. I'm a Virgo, so I really like to be in control. "

" Every time I step onto the stage, it's not only proving to the audience that I'm capable but to myself. "

" More often than we realize, people see in us what we don't see in ourselves. "

" Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you. "

" I had some really incredible people who mentored me and gave me things I never got from my parents. "

" As a child, I had been told that I was exactly what a ballerina should be. "

" If the rhythm or beat of the music changes with a live orchestra, you have to think on your feet. If you feel like you are not on your leg, you have to make a decision to make it look as though nothing is going wrong. "

" I traced the marley floor with my pointe shoes, and imagine myself on the stage, not as a member of the corps, but as a principal dancer. It felt right. It felt like a promise. Some day, somehow, it was going to happen for me. "

" It's all so surreal, and I'm living my dream. And you know, principal or not, I'm getting to dance all the roles that I've dreamed of doing. "

" My curves became an integral part of who I am as a dancer, not something I needed to lose to become one. "

" Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so humble and grounded. Being in ballet class, I feel, is like this meditation for me every morning. "

" I never thought of myself as special or particularly good at anything. But once I started ballet, suddenly I had a new identity: prodigy. "

" I had always been proud of my body - its strength and grace enabled me to pursue my passions. "