“I worked very hard and I was en pointe by the time I was seven years old.” — Michaela DePrince

I always wanted to be very delicate, but my thing was power. Then I realised I could use that power to jump as high as the boys.

I want to be known as a delicate, Black dancer who does classical ballet.

When I was growing up my mother made certain that I was exposed to people of all races and religions who were intelligent, educated, good, and caring. These included social workers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and especially ballerinas.

Because I'm black, people think I'm not capable of being delicate, only athletic.