A snippet from my class on #masterclass about Technique, Artistry, and my Process🩰❤️ Access my full class!: www.masterclass.com/classes/m... #MistyCopeland #Ballerina
The more I learn about ballet the more I’m awe I am at how much pain and training and dedication these dancers go thorough. Yall are tough as f*ck and still so graceful
Who spends her time making up excuses as to why she's oppressed..... That's pathetic and sad.... Always a victim who hopefully never breeds more of that kind of stupid
It would be kind of heartbreaking to be the very top of your field and you STILL can’t find shoes in your skin color. The subtle racism she must have to deal with navigating this world must be really hard to deal with.
@@leslierae6416 You know most dancers can't buy point shoes in their skin color right? They pancake them with foundation because very few people have pink skin. Of course the shoes will be of a lighter tone though because ballet comes from France and French people are white.
@@IAmACatMeowMeowIDontLikeYou yes. It's not necessarily the healthiest. But it can be really tight in some dancers while being just relatively tighter in others...
You're supposed to have toe pads so that your feet don't end up looking like 'ballerina feet' with bandaids and blood. It's too at least try to keep your feet healthy.
Misty, you gotta bust open the ballet shoe industry and make your own line! You have the heart, the fire and this right here is the video for it. ❤️ God bless you, girl.
There's already multiple companies that make all different skin tone pointe shoes the problem is not that they're not being manufactured it's that the ballet company she works for doesn't buy them in the color of her skin.
@@Bombabingbong66Generally when a ballet dancer is part of a company, the company will provide pointe shoes. From what I can find online, Misty Copeland’s company (ABT) provide pointe shoes to their dancers so whether or not she gets shoes from a company that provides shoes in different skin tones is not up to her. It’s common that freelance dancers buy their own shoes, but companies generally provide them.
I was a ballerina from 1994 to 2006 in a small town in Brazil and we always had access to several skin tones ballet pointe shoes. Hard to imagine that in NYC she couldn’t order some in whatever color she desired.
There are not alot of black dancers here that are as successful as her. She is the first principal in her company to ve black so, yeah in a brown, tanned country, I hope they have deeper colors. But America likes thier Balerinas to be "European Pink." I don't make the rules, I just live here and people with money make those rules. Sad but true. They want to preserves "thier" culture. Of course.
@@veronicadelorey4941not being successful doesn't mean that you can't find who's in the color you want. So you're blaming racism as the reason for the shoes being that color when they've been like that for generations cuz they don't want to "wipe out their culture" It has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's traditional for them to be pink as someone said because it was the color of royalty way back in the day. Stop blaming it on racism and stuff. Stop being bitter and blaming the white man for everything. As a member of the minority community I am embarrassed by people who want to blame everything about society on whether or not it's racism. FYI you have absolutely no idea how many white people are in Brazil. There are a lot. You want to see racism? Go to Asia. That is exactly the most racist group of people on the planet. I should know as I am part Asian. Koreans and Japanese still don't like each there are facets of both cultures that are similar to each other. A lot of the orientals don't like darker skinned Asians. And don't even get me started with the Middle East which is a part of the Asian continent. You wanna know racism? You try being a mixed minority going into one of the countries where your parents are from see how they treat you differently than either a foreigner or someone who actually has the full look. I don't get treated like a foreigner and I don't get treated like a native either. You want to know tough? That's tough. Especially when they throw hate at you because you don't have a look that they think you should. So yeah. Stop complaining about stuff like this and start doing something about it. If you keep blaming everything on racism, you're never going to improve your life. Overcome it and suck it up I swear if one more person blames the white man for their own issues instead of actually doing something about the issue, I'm going to scream
No choice to succeed many girls is waiting you to fail to take your role. Hours of dancing to be perfect. At school when I came back from rehearsal they asked me how it was and explained everyday 10 am to 10pm. Few will be chosen and only the best will be hired. It's really hard to live this dream knowing all sacrifices or being underpaid. If it's not your passion it's not worth it. And there's a lot with ED same for girls who are doing modeling. You have to be thin and light. We also have a lot of injuries. When you have pointe at first you don't expect to bleed or your nail can bleed and lose your nail. It's very hard and learn to be used to the pain. I kept dancing even injured or compete at gymnastic and martial arts. I was paid as gymnast, dancer and martial arts artist. I could be a full time professional gymnast but I had some friends who were professional and were injured at the point they could end in wheelchair and their doctor suspended them 5 years due to their injury. So I needed a plan b. Because when I'll be too old which is in twenties I didn't want to be stucked in my career. And only had these experiences in my resume. So I had diplomas and when I decided to be retired because I lost my passion I could be hired because I had skills. So I didn't struggle. I knew I already realized my dreams. But I witnessed when my friends were stopped in their sport career or fired. They ended depressed and it was really hard for them to find a job or do something else. We still in contact and wished to be more disciplined and keep going to school. I had sleeping pills since middle school as I had way too much pressure. Because I was good in most sport and teachers wanted me to join their club and be in the top so I was mostly in top 3 at school. Top 1 mostly even if I skipped school a lot. I had a deal with my teachers so as long I came for exams they will adapt to me. In some subject some teachers didn't give me exams anymore and gave me the highest grade. They said it was useless as I was always first or had extra points for doing more than others. So it was pretty cool. Some teachers hated me and tried to trick me to fail but I was still first whatever I was laughing or talked too much with my classmate. So they gave up on me and said I could do whatever I want as long as I don't disturb them because I loved to piss them with my questions and they weren't able to answer. So we played with it when theh ended to ignore me. So I asked to others to raise their hand for me and keep asking the same question until they give us an answer. In history subject I reached to break my record wasting an hour while others tried to finish their homework. I was in a public artistic high school but they were very selective and if you failled twice they kicked you from school to keep their statistic high on successful students. The price to succeed is to not party and always training even weekends and holidays. You also follow a strict diet, you will not experience drugs either because you always have medical exams and tested to be sure you don't use drugs to perform better. It's really tiring but when you live your dreams it's kinda a small sacrifice. You understand later you weren't like others who partied and had a normal life. I used to travel a lot for shows, compete. So it also saved me and didn't end in jail like most of my childhood friends.
I remember a documentary that followed several ballet students as they were trying to get into an academy. One of the students was adopted from Africa and her adoptive mother was white, the adoptive mother would customize the outfits even dying the leotards, undergarments, lace, straps, etc dark brown to match the girls skin tone because pink,off white or nude sticks out on dark skin. These pieces/parts of the outfit were supposed blend with the skin and ballet was predominately practiced by Caucasians so understandably these lighter toned colors became standard. At the time of the documentary they didn’t have variety like they do now and I was impressed at how aware the adoptive mother was of the small details, the work she put in, she took outfits apart, dyed the “skin tone” pieces and sewed the outfit back together in time for recitals and auditions.
Yes! The documentary “First Position” really makes you appreciate this art form. And that ballerina is Michaela DePrince, she’s at Boston Ballet and started her non profit for kids like she said she would. Amazing human
It’s European pink because back in the renaissance era, pink was the monarchy’s colour, especially for princes. It’s very recently that it’s know for being the “girls’” colour
mmmm i see what you mean but pointe shoes are meant to be as close to the skin tone of the dancer as possible to make those long elegant lines. European pink being very roughly and approximately the color of most european peoples skin. Ie, most white dancers dont color their shoes. ballet originated in Europe so it makes sense that they’d start that way but at this point there have been black and brown dancers for a very long time. If the color was meant to be pink, and not meant to match skin, they wouldn’t be coloring them and companies wouldn’t have started producing other colors. Also curious what you mean by “the” monarchy. there were multiple… as there are and were many countries in Europe. And they all used different colors. In fact purple and blue are considered to be a monarchs color because of that era. Albeit for a decent chunk of time it was broadly the English, there were still large swaths of time where it was multiple countries, and often the monarchs changed the color scheme. Would love to see a source regarding the pink, because that contradicts what i had learned to be true /gen
@@lopez8872 did you read what i said? im not saying its not allowed im saying that im quite confident that the color isn’t because its associated with royalty and explained why, and that dancers aren’t ONLY european anymore so european pink shouldn’t be the only option. really not understanding where you got that impression from because its not at all what i said. perhaps i can correct whatever statement led you to that impression.
@_mina24 It's hard to say. From what I have heard, having it blend with their skin makes the moves look cleaner and their legs longer. Also, they didn't have darker dancers, so it probably wasn't much of a thought.
I remember getting my first pair of dance shoes that actually came in MOCHA “brown” and I almost cried because tan on brown skin doesn’t look good! My dance teacher, who is white, was determined to get me shoes that matched my skin and she did. I have a connection with her to this day because she fought for me in the dance world because of my character and talent, and made sure that I had equality in all spaces.
@@avamac678 Thank-you! She was the perfect example of how the world should be and I’m forever indebted to her for the doors she kicked open for myself and others.
@@jdstep97thank you. She found a gap in the market and instead of profiting she wants to feel she’s intentionally left out and blame someone else. Uggh. It’s exhausting these people.
Must be an older discipline. My pointe instructor also taught with no pads, for the exact same reason. It never dawned on me this wasn’t done everywhere. I’m almost 60 so this was a lifetime ago. This woman has reignited my love of ballet. Thank you, so much💞
I'm 40 and my ballet teacher taught that way too she also taught yoga so I thought she was special in that. 😂 I can still go on point barefoot ..not dancing the sugar plum fair now just for a second. I have this pair of vibram soled slippers that I can go on point in too. They're very flexible but also very hard I think they have made vubram ballet shoes now. They've got all sorts of shoes now that look intriguing. ❤
I have always been fascinated by ballet. Personally, I was always a sports girl as I was 5' 7" by 10 and finished out at 5' 11", but inside me was a person who wanted to be a ballet dancer or a gymnast so badly but was always told I was too big. May I ask, what happens to the feet of a ballet dancer as they age? I had one friend who danced for years, and in our 20's (I'm 55 now) she always walked with her feet directed outwards, never pointing straight, which got me to thinking about her feet. Do either of you walk or ever walked with your feet pointing outwards and have you developed feet problems from years, if not decades of having your toes manipulated in toe shoes? Thanks and if I've overstepped by being too personal, my apologies.
@@MetalMama-Mimi523 I know you were asking them, and I'm curious as well, but I have that same issue due to hip problems so I can't help but wonder if that may be a factor in it at all as well
@@MetalMama-Mimi523 it depends. But no generally ballet dancers don't walk with her feet turned out and many nin ballet dancers walk that way. A properly trained dancer doesn't walk like that but many people have am issue with theur feet or back that can cause them to walk in all the ways non dancers walk. Usually a dancer is very conscious of their posture and their foot and knee health but planet aren't and walk badly just as plenty if jiggers run badly. That's just posture and can run in families or be because if an underlying issue of weakness. Not at all a good idea to walk like that whether a dancers a gymnast or anyone else. As for feet many ballerinas use badly fitted shoes theur teachers aren't careful and they don't change their shoes as theur feet change or they rely too heavily on the shoe to form their strength and actually haven't got strong feet ...so that depends as well. A good teacher will make sure your shoes are not ill fitting for your feet and that you're not letting your toes become weak and end up getting squashed inside the shoe ...so no your feet should be very sting very well formed and not have bunions or bent toes which only really happens if care is not taken to ensure the strength is maintained off pointe and the shoe is well fitting and comfortable. There are adult classes you can go to but be careful that your teacher is actually paying attention to things like your shoes your arches your turn out your knees all sorts of things have to be really well minded to prevent damage of knees ankles toes metatarsal etc and as you progress your feet will change shape and adjustments to you shoes will be nessiary. My teacher was a nightmare about all of that she was so perfectionist but it has made me highly aware of my knees my hips my posture and my feet through my whole life. I see a lot of videos of kids especially on you tube where you know if they continue the way they are going they will end up damaged. Its not as important for you as an adult but for children is really important that the teacher is hyper aware of all of that and of people natural habits that they may need to overcome.
I'm European Slavic and my skin is not pink. Stop excluding yourself, it is just the dancing shoe, it can be painted in any color you want, and name it what ever you want.
I love Misty Copeland but the colour is called “ballet pink”. Maybe the company shes been buying her shoes from called it “European pink” but even if thats the case it’s not a bad thing. Ballet pink is a certain shade a pink. Not meant to be skin tone. Although I don’t think it’d be a bad thing for them to make darker shades for a more seamless look. But having them be pink isn’t bad cuz it’s not meant to be skin tone.
the pink color very much was intended to match the dancers skintone. some companies call it european pink, and some call it ballet pink, but either way, the way the pink tights came about was to match the skin tone of the dancers, who were very pale. same with pointe shoes, they started out as european/ballet pink in order to match the dancers pale complexion. edit: where i dance the color is more commonly referred to as european pink. im not positive but i believe that european pink was the original term used. i actually have friends whose skin tone is very similar or even match exactly to traditional ballet pink tights. its not all that rare.
@@amyjones3467 That's interesting to hear because I am a dancer as well and I have only encountered it being universally known as "ballet pink" I have only heard this from Misty Copeland. And just becuase there may be rare cases where it matches their skin, most white people are not "ballet pink" lol. But making new, brown shoes to match their skin is fine by me. But ballet pink doesn't match white people either. So this idea that it has to is new.
All ballet classes for little girls were pink tutu pink tights pink shoes. Nothing to do with skin colour. But pink is for girls. It’s always been that way. For professional dancers doing shows shoes should match the costume colour. Swan lake wore white regardless of the colour of the dancer. Race has nothing to do with colour of the shoes. White folks are not pink or white The costume was pink not the child/dancer.
@acar7421 the ballet world is notorious for the often horrific pressure, harsh training, and just suffering that it takes. And with her being of color, God knows the bullying she's taken. This is hard for me to watch as an empath. She's holding back massive emotion. She is extremely brave, clearly.
When I was promoted to a Principal Scientist this year, I thought about Misty; upon my discovery of her some years ago , I strived to become the best in what I do! Kudos for her demonstrating that your dreams and aspirations are just the beginning footsteps to your realiities!
@@amymarshall5058fs not necessarily - idk the skin colour of the commenter, which would probably answer that. However I would say Misty isn’t just an icon because of her race and she should be held as an inspiration for anyone from all walks of life. Her strength and advocation is incredible for all, so I don’t feel like skin colour needs to be the centre of every comment because that does not encompass who she is and restricts her to that sphere of recognition, although it’s certainly important to reach audiences she can have particular power for, and is relevant in the context of this video. Ultimately it’s a lovely comment so not sure it needs to be restricted… hope that was respectful and you understand what I mean!
I swear, since I was 5 I’ve adored this woman and her dance. My mom even got me the little doll of her back in 2018 I think, I can’t remember the year. She is so kind and sweet and she was my biggest inspiration growing up and still is. I’m now 14, and I’ve always dreamed of doing ballet, or any type of dance. There were a couple of times where I took classes but I would always end up leaving because I didn’t feel confident enough or good enough, but she ups my confidence so much somehow. Now I’m 3 years strong in my ballet classes, and she’s my biggest inspiration to continue. ❤
A Bloch employee wrote that the brand has been making Misty's shoes in a costum colour that matches her particular skintone and they were quite offended by misty's remark regarding her having to colour her pointe shoes, especially since they were the among the first pointe shoe brands to introduce different tones of shoes to accommodate all skintones (and many other brands followed suit!). I understand the need for awareness and diversity but people HAVE been listening and applying changes!
But that’s not aligned with her message... it’s harder for her... Honestly that’s ridiculous that she lied about coloring them herself and didn’t shout out the company that actually makes her shoes and customized them for her and not even a stock color from them. I imagine that she goes through them often.
When I was dancing growing up, we would be measured for our instep, length, width, and height of our feet to find the perfect pointe shoe to match our feet because everyone’s feet are built differently. You can’t just pick a random shoe that matches your skin tone. I still can’t find the shoe that I was prescribed in brown
Good lord that must’ve took a world of hurt and a mountain of dedication to pursue such an art. Hats off to you young lady it’s nothing short of incredible.
To everyone saying that brown and black shoes do exist, that is true but for dancers everyone has a very specific shoe that they like that may not come in any other color
Then we dye them or use foundation makeup on them rather than have a pity party over the color of a shoe. It was a non issue. Please don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
@@chelledegrasse2787 it's not a issue for you because your shoes come in the shade you need but for some that's not the case and brands need to better at inclusion it's not hard at this day and age to include all skin colors they choose not which makes excluding certain dancer and that's not right!
Ballet slippers used to come in ‘American pink’ and ‘European pink’. Predictably, ‘American pink’ is a more saturated, brighter, colour. If you google the phrase ‘American pink color’, you’ll see the difference.
My late Auntie was a principal dancer (Houston Ballet back in the day) and I know what her feet went through... You are phenomenal. Break those barriers, and I want there to not be any further barriers to artists living their artistry.
She is amazing. I just hope her feet don’t give her as many problems because of that advice. I was a dancer for 16 years and it’s horrible. What she feet go through.
🛑 You're heart is in the right place ... but stop following the propaganda !? She just made PINK shoes racist? lol They are pink.. not beige.. they wear pink skirts and blue and actual white.. jet black.. It's not to look shoeless or to match skin tone lol
@mamahanna1447 actually the point of tights and the ballet shoes are to create the illusion of a beautiful consecutive line close to skin tone and that's why many asian and black dancers would "pancake" (packing a shoe with foundation) to match yellow and brown skin tones. A simple Google search would have proven her right. Next time shutting up before being ignorant will suffice.
You are absolutely incredible. I know very little about ballet, but I know you are speaking absolute truth from what little I do know. I hope my little comment can spread to others and maybe one days we can all see more inclusive point shoes! You rock!
Wow i never realized that they were meant to be "skin color", I always thought they were baby pink or eggshell and that it was so they matched most ballet outfits. I also thought that you could order them in any color. Huh, definitely learned something new today. I didn't realize how much I thought I knew about ballet 😂
@@Cdroh Excuse me, what? Yeah I think you misunderstood me. I was making the point that I never had a clue that so much to do with ballet had ANYTHING to do with race. If you took this as me bringing anything into this conversation is silly. I let it be known that I didn't know as much as I thought I did about ballet. I reacted to what the creator was speaking on... It's people like you with the problem. Why does it have to be someone other than the creator that brings up an issue like race? It's her experience and it's her life that she's choosing to share with the world... Why are you making a problem where there wasn't one???
@Cdroh you’re the one making it about race. She briefly mentioned an inconvenience in the colours of the shoes given her professional experience in ballet. Also I’m not American, but for someone who seems to hate Americans so much you sure are spending a lot of time on an American website, owned by an American company.
@@gofigure4920 I just googled Colors of Ballet point shoes and they come in all colors of the rainbow as well earth and skin tone shades. Wow is she purposely giving the wrong message out?
Misty ... you are a GOAT. You're ability to express yourself through movement and your voice is extraordinary. Keep up the good fight and start your own line of dance footwear that's inclusive for All.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I remember seeing you as a 13 year old prodigy on the heroldo Riverio show. Families fighting over you. Im glad you made it to the other side and became successful, keep on keeping on my sister and best of luck
Please consider refraining from placing so much emphasis on skin color. If it shouldn't matter, stop making it matter. Constantly searching for racism only holds you back from realising how and where you are accepted. Your beauty and grace speak for you. Your skin just keeps it all in one space. 💙💙💙
There are a lot of different point shoes in different colors in the United States as well. For some reason, she wants to tell everybody that she has to make her own..
With all due respect (and I don’t know this) but maybe ballet began in European countries, so that’s why the traditional pink; not consciously to exclude others. I am - however - very surprised that now that our world is so much “smaller,” the ballet shoes don’t come in a wide variety of colors, to include all races. Kudos to you for your wonderful dedication to ballet and your talent! ❤
I work for a ballet company. It is crazy to see the black professionals come with a bag full of shoes and have to get them all dyed for the up coming season. But they also hold a special place in my heart because their dancing means so much more to me coming where I come from.
There are many companies like ballet shoes in a wide range of skin colors so why not purchase those instead of choosing to buy the pink shoes which are nobody's skin color.
@@kellycochran3305 why are you coming at me like I make the shoes 🤔 from my experience I’ve only seen 2 black shades ones light and the other is super dark and as Yk we come in plenty of shades. I believe it’s easier for the costume shop to match the skin tone of our professionals vs them picking a shade that was made up. Y’all have to relax on coming at people 🤦🏾♀️ we all live in different places and shit gets ran differently all over the world. I should be allowed to tell my experience without you feeling a way. Y’all have to learn to keep scrolling 🤦🏾♀️
@@Shockguey no you asked a question goofy. And it’s people like you that fall under the “y’all” because why are you here? My opinion and experience is mines to have. It’s not up for debate. People like you read all the comments and see how I feel about other commenting then still decide to comment! Learn to move tf around. Plus you double commented and call yourself taking up for the next person. When you didn’t have to ask me shit you could have googled it. But you chose to be here and be on some bs 😂😂😂😂🗣️ YALL HAVE TO LEARN TO KEEP FUCKIN SCROLLING 🤦🏾♀️ talking about “weird hyper focusing” yet yo weird ass too hyped and focused on my comment. Also if you watched the video and understood what she was saying or knew anything about ballet it wouldn’t be a question. And clearly you don’t so again WHY ARE YOU HERE? 🤦🏾♀️
I am European, and the only time I will be that type of pink, would be when I am dead lol. I love the fact that your shoes actually match your skin tone. Perhaps they should make a universal buff colour and we should all do the dyeing process 😊
I know what your saying but if your of a lighter complexion aka white generally speaking it’s no issue with the “European pink” for her she literally HAS to color her own or it’s a problem or frowned upon.
@@terribell9737 I feel like that’s creating issues that don’t need to exist. traditionally, women should wear pink and men should wear black or white. it’s just shoes
I don’t think it’s intended to be exclusionary I think it’s probably just that the shoes were decided upon in Europe before there were black or brown people there
‘European pink’ and ‘American pink’ are two different colours. ‘European pink’ is that soft pink colour popular for pointe shoes now. ‘American pink’ is a brighter pink. When I was a child, little girls’ ballet slippers came in ‘European’ or ‘American’ pink. I recall this because my dance teacher, Miss Pora, had a very clear preference for ‘European pink’.
Its so difficult to decide to get offended or not when the nomenclature is so loaded and different depending on what you know and what you're being told.
I did ballet as a kid into my early teens and I never ever thought that the ballet slippers were supposed to be a match for my skin colour. (either the little leather slippers worn as children or pointe shoes) I thought they were supposed to be pink because little girls love the colour pink - why else?
@@claireadamson4138that's because white folk in ballet are considered pinky. The line is the major reason for the look ballerinas try to achieve. Can't have it unless the legs and feet match. Which is why shaded shoes and tights are so important.
@@voguehaven5154 Do you forget people of color? And okay that’s 65% of white but what about the rest? She still faces some struggles given that she’s not white passing so, your point is?
@@spookyooky793it is important for white people to see us as victims? Gtfo. I'm not white. I live in a predominantly white environment. I get my share of bigotry. I know my history(afro carribean) but a victim because of my race?! Foh. I will be damned if the first impression I want white people to give, is 'victim due to blackness'. I'm darker than Misty! Shouldn't I feel even more marginalised?
It took way to long to come in other colors. Just like it still is taking to long for libraries, banks and other corporations to include Black and brown people
Are you saying libraries and banks don’t have black people??? Everyone at the bank I go to is black except for one Spanish speaking girl that works at the counter..
@wonderwomanenlightenment641 Libraries and banks??? Are u living in the fuckin 50s? I promise u there are plenty of black, brown, and every other color out there at banks and libraries😂 ur crazy💀
I wrapped white tape around each toe and cut socks to protect them as well. Danced ballet for 17 years and I have very pretty feet as a 53 year old. Glad I used those materials. I wear open toed shoes and not shy about about it.
Good for you. My sister danced for literally 20years, all the way through college and bless her heart, her feet were horribly ugly for the longest time haha. About 5 years without dancing now and her feet finally look mostly normal, though I swear her toes are still shaped like the box of a point shoe
@@jo-eo9ldyes once the callouses heal most dancers will still have insane bunions from having their toes smashed together so long, their big toes come inwards leaving a large nob sticking out where their toe should line up with.
@@komeczkaa problem is violence in the world, lack of medical care, poverty and do many other things.Those are problems. This is an inconvinience,for a veeeery small group of people.
Exclusion is a problem, 🤦🏼♀️ you begin dancing as a child not having items to reflect you is a way of saying you don’t belong, you are not welcome. Now companies do try to be a little more inclusive, thankfully.❤
I don’t recall ever not seeing a variety of colored shoes when I was dancing. BUT I will say that I kind of like the idea of coloring your own shoes because every skin tone is different. This is a way to make them more personalized.
@@Ilovecerealcerealcereal it’s true. I’ll just say it since everyone is dancing around the issue (lol lame joke).The dancers are supposed to be uniform. The shoes and tights and such aren’t supposed to match skin tone. I suppose if it makes people feel better while practicing that’s fine but production is different as I’m sure you know
What's funny is many fair skin toned dancers also use their foundation to paint the shoes to better match their skin tone because no one has pink skin. Not even me even though the tips of my fingers and such are actually deep pink.
@@MyLoserBrain yeah I know like there are flesh colored shoes like the the “modern” or “lyrical” heeled ones or some tap shoes are so I could understand doing it with those but I really never thought the ballet ones were supposed to be or any black jazz or tap shoes and damn they’re expensive. I used to go to a dance school that every year made us buy a new color leotard always had to be whatever brand they chose. Such an expensive hobby but I loved it so much and miss it 😢
Not only that but a lot of fair skinned dancers pancake theirs as well because no one has pink skin. European pink is just that, a shade of pink, not a skin color.
@@SpanglyAnnof course a straight white cis woman is complaining about a woman of color “pretending to be a victim”💀 it’s always the most privileged ppl telling others to “stop playing the victim”
She is literally a beast for not using pads or Band-Aids, or anything. I literally don’t know how her feet are not destroyed point is so hard I am the dancer myself and that is insane.
I'm a dancer in France, where the dance form originated, and our dancers come in all color and there are many Parisien shoe makers that make the shoe to match the skin of the dancer. Once when we were performing with a diverse group in America, we were invited to do a traditional Nigerian dance with the local dance troup. Afterwards, we were stunned by the number of ppl who called us racial slurs and spit at us as we left, and they applaud the black dancers though. We don't understand, all dance is Love. But when we performed in Nigeria, the Nigerian people were very warm and danced along with us.
That is awful and sadly it happens a lot. Literally most people have to continuously be on our toes (no pun intended) with what we do and how people of another race will react. It’s sad that this happens a majority of time in the US. Africans are just a whole other thing no matter their country. They are always so nice and welcoming. Always respectful and sweet and if u go to their homes they will literally welcome you with open arms and hug u and then make sure you are stuffed before u leave. I never knew the shoes had to match the skin tone. Honestly when people say they are being excluded with something like this they don’t understand how much another race doesn’t know or understand. I never knew black people wore wigs or weaves until I was at least 14 I thought it was real hair. I wondered why my braids were never that long and how they could get super long braids lol I was dumb to beauty as a kid 😂 but skin color shit u can’t blame lighter skin tones all the time bc white people make things for white people why don’t black people make things for black people? Like who can understand a color or tone better than someone who has it? Whether it be band aids or point shoes? Why should white people have to make something all the time. There should be black people opening up point shoe brands and shops or band aid brands. I didn’t know band aids were supposed to match skin either and they never matched mine anyways. I either never used one or used a pink or even an orange one. As a kid you’d rather have hello kitty or Batman 🤣 sorry for the long thing. I love dancing and have a taken a few classes in college but I couldn’t take more bc I have to be on track with my major. I still try to learn on my own. Keep doing your best and everything you do is something others wish they can do! Stay great!
@@daniellaNicole0we do tend to often wear hair extensions and wigs to try out different hairstyles without damaging our hair which is really fragile but if you see an african person with long hair please don't automatically assume it's fake, a lot of ppl do this and think that our hair doesn't grow, they even mock us for that which we find offensive since hair in general especially when it's long and healthy holds a lot value in our culture.
@@daniellaNicole0I'm completely shocked by your comment, "Why do white people have to make things for black people?" " Why can't white people make things for white people and black people make things for black people?" Wth? This is an apartheid/segregation mentality. Why can't people make things for all people? Just like they do for makeup or stockings and things of that nature.
That's because this woman, amongst many other Americans, are regressing when they say that they are progressing. Who cares if the shoe is not in one's skin tone. It is not exclusionary. Is it not the most disgusting thing that Doctor Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" was only seen for a glimmer of time because now, race is seen before character unlike in the 90s, it was reversed.
plus, i know some people have pinkish undertones, but that's mostly in the face, and most white girls i know who do ballet have to paint their pointes with foundation too. European pink is not that matching on many many people. but I'm not tryna discredit her claims of exemptions in ballet bc it is a very exclusive world and the reasoning for pointe shoes originally being pink is because of race. so maybe in her area more shade ranges just aren't that available without costing more.
@@taylinj4834 the thing is, point shoes, if you want to have them match your skin, pretty much every skin tone has to paint their shoes. I'm white and have had to do it many many times because "European pink" (which isn't called that anymore. It's called Ballet pink and everyone knows it) doesn't match white people either. Ballet is exclusive and for MOST dance companies, it's not about race. Its about body type. And who taught you. Which isn't GOOD but race has not much if anything to do with its exclusivity. And just like any job, there will be people who discriminate. But across the board? Race isn't really an issue anymore. It DEFINITELY started out racist. A TON of things started out racist but that doesn't make it racist now. guess what? It also starts out as bad in other ways. Ballet dancers used to be seen as the equivalent of "exotic dancers". It wasn't a respected profession. People called and thought of Ballet dancers as whores. Ballet has changed a TONNNNNNN and to act like just because something started or used to be bad makes it bad now is crazy. Some of the best ballet dancers were/are black. And nothing (including having to paint their shoes much like every other dancer) stopped them from succeeding. Ballet is a hard profession to have for everyone. Nearly impossible to get into for EVERYONE. even harder to keep... For everyone. But thats the same as every other sport/art like it. And that "exclusivity" has nothing to do with skin tone 🤷🏻♀️
If I was a ballerina, i would want to have shiny royal blue , not to mention Deep shiny purple!! I understand the extention of your leg and the best colors.
I mean, the dance medium was developed over 500 years ago in Europe.... There weren't too many colored people floating around the royal French courts with Catherine De Medici. Misty is a fabulaous ballerina and brings so much to the artform. But dont act butthurt when a traditionally white european artform has europeaness embedded in it.
Were there really no people of color in 16th century France? Or are we used to thinking about European history while erasing the diversity that must have existed at the time?
@ebangoosa It'd be no different than me becoming a professional kabuki dancer and then complaining that almost all of the things used in it are designed for Asians instead of tall Scandinavians.
Yep, you’re right it is exactly a way to prohibit black and brown dancers! You got us, all of us pink dancers just wanted nobody whose feet weren’t a nice pink color to dance! Foiled again! On a serious note, though, it’s amazing that somebody who works so hard and has developed a skill that I will never be able to comprehend because it is so far out of my abilities to do still feels the need to throw in some thing about how having to paint a shoe is what has held her back, when clearly, it has not held her back if she is at such an awesome level of dance. It reminds me of a radio host who talked about how he got as far as radio as he did because he worked hard, and the person who he was interviewing stopped him to say “well You can only say that because you’re a white man who experienced white privilege”, but it turns out the radio host was a black guy Who actually did just work hard to get where he wanted to be. She is like the opposite of that radio host. Instead of seeing how hard she worked, and the dedication she had to put in to get to where she is, all she sees is ways she thinks she is falsely been held back. Even if it is some thing as mundane as brown shoes instead of pink.
I just googled Colors of Ballet point shoes and they come in all colors of the rainbow as well earth and skin tone shades. Wow is she purposely giving the wrong message out?
@TheUnderCoverMother2020 Thats what the people who want to be victims do. They lie or blame others to remain opressed, when they themselves are the opressers.
@@nicoler.2156 If I went to an African dance group and told them to change their hair styles to be more inclusive to me, imagine the reaction. It's cultural appropriation when we want to do anything outside our culture, but at the same time, we should change all of our cultural traditions in the name if "inclusivity." I don't see anyone calling her out for cultural appropriation.
@@anastasiassecret3837 Accept what? It's called supply and demand, if there isn't a large demand for it, these companies aren't going to invest in something they're not going to get a return on. No one is stopping any person of colour from designing and selling shoes of colour... You don't have to accept that these factories tend to make what sells best, it's just the way capitalism works.
I took ballet for many years and had no idea that the pale pink tights and pointe shoes because it was supposed to match Northern European skin tones. I’m White but I have Olive skin, so there is zero pink in my skin. I’ve seen East Asian (Chinese and Japanese) dance companies and they wear Ballet Pink too. East Asian people generally have warm or neutral skin tones. I just thought Ballet Pink was the traditional color of tights, ballet slippers, and pointe shoes. I can remember shopping for foundations at drugstores and all of them had pink undertones in the early 1980s. So I couldn’t wear it. I finally found some foundations with warm undertones in the Latino Beauty section of the drugstore.
The pink shoes don't match anyone's skin tone. If you have any doubt, just refer to old paintings of ballet dancers and you'll see how well the colour of the shoes matches the colour of the skin of the dancers even back then. It is pink not nude.
They weren't; they were pink to match the tights. They've also sold different shades for ages. She didn't have to paint them; she chose to, likely because the most common colour, again, so coloured to match the tights, are cheaper than the specialised colours.
