Ballerinas are expected to be incredibly talented and disciplined, on top of maintaining a tall, svelte and fair-skinned physique. Each ballerina seems like an identical copy of the next. It’s a world where one must stand out in ability and poise, while simultaneously fitting in.

 

But what happens when you can’t fit in, when you don’t meet the standards of beauty? What happens when your skin is too dark, your body is too curvy and your kinky hair won’t lie perfectly in a bun?

Meet KaCee Dobbins, 19, a black ballerina who’s defying the stereotypes one tutu at a time. “I didn’t really have a black ballerina to look up to,” Dobbins says. “I didn’t have a Misty Copeland.”

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Listen to her full story below, and read more here (page 6).