Misty Copeland

had a vision for me to be in a music video of his and spent a year trying to find me.

I still don't really understand that story.

I know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

He says he reached out to ABT many times and that I was never given the message.

Maybe they didn't believe it was him.

I don't know.

But, you know, when we finally did connect, it just made sense, you know, for him to come into my life at that time.

He was my biggest supporter.

He showed me what it was to be

one of a kind, to be unique, to be proud to stand in his uniqueness and to use that as a power.

And I think whereas before I felt, you know, like isolated and alone being the only, and he really saw it as the opposite.

He's like, you have such an advantage.

He's like, you're the only brown girl out there.

Everyone's going to look at you.

Now what are you going to do?

And then just exploring my artistry by working with him, I think, made me grow in leaps and bounds as a dancer.

Though I wasn't doing classical works with him, he really challenged me to improvise, to be in the moment on the stages that he performed in.

And it really broadened my audience and appeal and brought people to ABT that had not been before.