To See Misty Dance!

I wrote this poem for Misty and other black ballerinas making their mark on history. I wanted to pay tribute to misty by acknowledging her contributions to ballet.

In the poem, I address misty by her name and the names of two characters she has portrayed on stage. I did this to highlight the roles that changed Misty's career. The Firebird, and Odette from Swan Lake are two roles that set the tone for Misty.

Although Misty Copeland is my favorite ballerina, I never seen her perform live on stage. So, I imagined what it would feel like to see her dance live. Thurs, the poem was written. I hope you enjoy!

Caption: Ballerina, Precious Adams.

POEM:

To see Misty dance is to see me and other brown girls

To see Misty dance is to witness a dream realized

To see Misty dance is to believe in believe

To see the Firebird (Misty) dance is to chase a blue flame of dreams

To see the Firebird (Misty) dance is to envision yourself gliding through adversity

To see the Firebird (Misty) dance is to demolish iniquity

To see Odette (Misty) dance is to acknowledge a brown girl's crown

to see Odette (Misty) dance is to see a swirl of black beauty

To see Odette (Misty) dance is to unearth black diamonds in ballet

To see Misty, Michaela, Precious... dance is to dance in a rainbow of shades

To see Misty dance is to break walls and open doors

To see Misty dance is to never miss an impossible beat

To see Misty dance is to be on point.

Caption: Ballerina, Michaela DePrince.