00:00People are like, oh, they're interested in me, and it brings them into the theater, and then they fall in
00:05love.
00:06Then they come, you know, at nights I'm not dancing. That's the beauty and power of dance and music.
00:13I mean, definitely being promoted to principal dancer. I mean, it's been a life, you know, long process and journey.
00:22What I represent being in this position, you know, as a black woman, I feel like it's going to just
00:27forever change opportunities for minorities.
00:30You dancers in ballet, and to me, that's everything.
00:35You know, I do think about it, and I feel very comfortable. I think it's my responsibility.
00:41I think it's important for me to represent in a positive way, and I don't feel pressure in terms of,
00:48like, being black and being in this position.
00:51I mean, I feel pressures. I think that every ballet dancer feels, you know, getting up there and being critiqued
00:56and you critiquing yourself,
00:57and just the pressures of live performances, but I'm proud to be in this position and to represent.
01:06I take it one day at a time. I think that it can seem overwhelming, and again, I think it's
01:10about knowing that you're on a journey.
01:12There's not an end point. It's important to have, like, support in your life, to have people that are going
01:17to be there to remind you on those days when it's hard,
01:20or when you feel like quitting, that you can do it, knowing that just because one day you think you've
01:26failed,
01:27like, that every day is another opportunity to try again.
01:30As individuals, like, it's easy to say, like, oh, just believe in yourself or love yourself,
01:35but I think that it helps as, like, a human being to have someone else tell you, too, like, you
01:39are enough.
01:40It's okay to be different or to be an individual, and to me, that's just been such a big part
01:46of building this self-acceptance and self-love that I have.
01:50This is a learning process and a journey for every individual.
