I do think Under Armour is setting a new example for what a ballerina is, and that you can be feminine and an athlete and represent what a woman is at the same time.

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.

Going on stage and doing ballet, for the first time, was even more verification of, "This is what I'm meant to do. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make it somehow."

I learned how to communicate and articulate myself from ballet. It's just insane to me, when they don't think of that as a part of our education.

I've gotten nothing but warmth from the Black community and positive feedback.

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

I think that I'm so fortunate to have found classical ballet. It completely changed my life and it shaped the person that I am today, on and off the stage.