Misty Copeland was the first African-American woman to be named a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Now, with the help of the NYC Dance Project, she’s recreating some of the famous ballet paintings of Edgar Degas. This series is meant to whet your palate for the upcoming exhibition, Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty, at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

“When we were approached to shoot Misty Copeland for Harper’s Bazaar – as if in a Degas painting – we took the challenge because we felt the very act of producing these images would be a barrier breaking statement” Deborah Ory from NYC Dance Project told Bored Panda.

“It was interesting to be on a shoot and to not have the freedom to just create like I normally do with my body,” Copeland told Harper’s Bazaar. “Trying to re-create what Degas did was really difficult. It was amazing just to notice all of the small details but also how he still allows you to feel like there’s movement.”

More info: nycdanceproject.com (h/t: demilked, mymodernmet)

Misty Copeland was the first African-American woman to be named a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre

With the help of the NYC Dance Project, she’s recreating some of the famous ballet paintings of Edgar Degas

“Much of our inspiration comes from the dancers themselves” Deborah Ory from NYC Dance Project told Bored Panda

“We were approached to shoot Misty Copeland for Harper’s Bazaar as if in a Degas painting”

“We took the challenge because we felt the very act of producing these images would be a barrier breaking statement”

“It is time for the dance world, especially ballet, to no longer be the exclusive domain of one race or one ethnicity”

“Misty is an inspiration to many people throughout the world, changing the stereotypes of ballet”

See her in action below:

Thank you, Deborah Ory, for answering our questions!

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