Sometimes a person can change an institution by simply being a part of it. Ballerina Misty Copeland is one of those people. In 2007, Copeland became the first African-American female soloist in two decades to be part of New York City’s acclaimed American Ballet Theatre. Fusion’s Alicia Menendez visited Copeland during a rehearsal, where they discussed Copeland’s new memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” and how others have responded to her critique of the lack of diversity in ballet.

Credits: Alicia Menendez, Claudia Pou, Ignacio Torres, Andrea Torres, Jess Blank and Paola Bolano