Once I became a professional, maybe 19 or 20, I really started to try to figure out who I was, as a woman and as an individual.

I try to consider people's perspectives and not just my own.

The fact that I was African American was never addressed, and that allowed me to just be a student, like anyone else. I was not aware of how rare it was to be an African American, how rare it was to have four years of training under my belt, and how, even though I could imitate people and fake it, unprepared I was to become a professional.

When you see the body outside of a costume and see the strength that it takes, people would look at dance a different way and see how athletic it is. You're not just born like that.

I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.

In a ballet company, you're trying to create unison and uniform when you're in a cour de ballet.

How difficult it is to exist, that we are athlete and artist. We have injuries. People don't see the hard side of being a ballerina. They just see this beautiful and effortless thing, and they assume it's easy and cute. I hate when people say it's cute!