Misty Copeland and the Beauty of Ballet That She Proves is Sport

Misty Copeland, ABT dancer and guest SYTYCD judge, has proven once and for all, hopefully, that ballet is a sport thanks to the release of a new Under Armour ad. As a mother of danseurs, this is great news. I have witnessed first hand the hard work associated with dance and have had to field some pretty stupid questions regarding ballet.

TGIF beauties. Apologies to the subscribers that are waiting for Ask the Pro Stylist’s favorite beauty product of the week. My Friday’s selection is not an item that could be held in one’s hands, but a concept and an argument that hopefully Misty Copeland has settled, if ballet is a sport. So this week I celebrate the beauty of ballet and thank my boys for the incredible gift of watching them dance, which is the most beautiful thing to me in the world.

Under Armour has released a new ad with the women associated with sport, which includes Misty Copeland. The segment with the first African-American female ABT soloist, also of Italian and German descent, shows the 31-year-old pristine ballerina in I Will What I Want. A young voiceover retells rejections the dancer faced in her reach for the stars, and it is difficult to hold back the tears, especially for mothers of boys who dance and began late as my Michael did at the age of 11.

Misty Copeland inspires Michael

A piece of the Under Armour ad appears in USA Today with an accelerated computerized image of Misty Copeland depicting the rate of which she turns, an amazing fete. Although Michael, 17, and Jason, 14, have been dancing for 6 years now, and Sean, 8, for over 3 years, I still here stupid comments such as, “oh they dance ballet?” Or “how does your husband feel that they don’t play sports?” Thank you Misty Copeland for proving ballet is not only spectacular to watch, but it is a sport indeed. And let’s be clear, my two younger boys do play sports. Dance has made my 5’ 6” son jump higher than his basketball teammates, “yes, white boys can jump,” and it has helped with their endurance on the court and field.

Misty Copeland is an inspiration to all dancers, especially my boys: Michael, Jason and Sean!

Misty Copeland has a little advice in Shape for upcoming dancers, which is why I wrote this piece as a labor of love for my danseurs, so that hopefully they won’t quit this fine art/sport.

Those days that you’re feeling down on yourself and your body hurts, it’s important to remember that if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either.

Thank you Misty Copeland for inspiring this dance mom to continue to support my boys, no matter what, and for bringing the beauty of ballet to a new generation of athletes.