Misty Copeland’s anticipated advertisement with Under Armour did not fail to amaze. The intense 60 second ad showed off the ballerina’s skill, muscles, and the intensity of ballet.
Copeland elegantly performed ballet moves across the stage and spun around, all with an intense stare on her face. A rejection letter she received when younger was heard being read by a little girl, reported People Magazine.
“Unfortunately you have not been accepted. You lack the right feet, Achilles tendons, turnout, torso length and bust,” the letter read.
Her refusal to give up paid off in 2007, when she became the second black soloist in the history of the American Ballet Theatre in New York City.
According to the Boston Globe, the athletic-apparel brand chose Copeland, also the first non-athlete used, to promote its women’s line, with the tagline “I will what I want.” Raiya Goodman, also African-American, was the voice of the girl implied to be Copeland as a child.
The commercial broke the stereotypes of ballerinas by highlighting Copeland’s physique, and showing her muscles as they popped.
“A lot of people think of dance as a really sort of frivolous thing, that you just kind of get on the stage and twirl around,” Copeland said.
She went on to say that the ad also highlighted that she and other professional ballerinas “are just as hardworking as any athlete.”