If I'm put in a situation where I am not really sure what's going to happen, it can be overwhelming. I get a bit anxious.
At least in my performances, the audience has become so diverse in a way that I don't think ballet has ever experienced.
I had always been proud of my body - its strength and grace enabled me to pursue my passions.
I never thought of myself as special or particularly good at anything. But once I started ballet, suddenly I had a new identity: prodigy.
My curves became an integral part of who I am as a dancer, not something I needed to lose to become one.
I was on a path. I was going to become a principal dancer. I never let my mind rest.
When I was dancing, I felt in control and happy. I'm a Virgo, so I really like to be in control.
I think I get almost every piece of clothing that I buy altered and taken in just to fit me exactly the way it should.
The ballet world I don't think is an art form that is quick to change or to adjust or evolve.
It's weird for minorities even just to buy tickets to the ballet. We feel like it's not a part of our lives and we're not a part of that world.
I am a black woman, and my experiences would not be what they are if I wasn't. I'm so happy to share those experiences for other people to be able to learn from them.
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.
My favorite role of all? Whatever I'm working on in the moment.
I don't want to be anything else other than a ballerina. I love what I do outside of my work, but at the end of the day, I have to sacrifice.
I was seventeen when I moved to New York. I was nineteen when I joined the main company. I was going through a lot. Just becoming an adult and just wanting to fit in, be accepted, and be in common with the other dancers.
I think that the ideal physique and look of a ballerina is always changing with different eras. And it's continuing to change.
The classical ballet world is so exclusive and small, and a lot of people don't know about it.
Growing up, I was surrounded by R&B and Hip-Hop, and the closest thing I could find to dance was gymnastics which I watched on TV. So, I just used those avenues I found available right in my milieu to express what was inside of me.
'The Company' was interesting. I didn't love it, although it might be compelling to someone who isn't a dancer. There wasn't a lot of dialogue, and you were just kind of observing the creative process of choreography and in class.
