My first ballet class was on a basketball court. I'm in my gym clothes and my socks trying to do this thing called ballet.

Different mentors throughout my life have supported and guided me to remember that I do have the strength, courage and talent to do whatever I want to do.

I don't think every African-American or Latino have the same body type, but, yes, that's been one of the excuses ... saying that African-Americans are too muscular or just aren't lean enough. Usually they say, "Oh, they have flat feet so they just don't have the flexibility that it takes to create the line in a point shoe."

I believe that I definitely developed into a refined and graceful woman due to ballet. It has shaped me in every way.

There are muscles that we have in our feet that most human beings don't even know that we have. The strength that we have is so detailed.

It takes a lot of money to be a part of the ballet world. Both the training and the supplies are expensive, the shoes, the leotards and the tights.

Ballet was exactly what I was searching for, but my environment definitely made me the dancer and the person that I am today. And the Hip-Hop culture was a big part of it.