It was a real girl’s night out — a few righteous gents joined in — as Dance Camera West and The American Cinematheque joined forces, Tuesday evening, to host a sneak preview screening at the Aero Theatre of “A Ballerina’s Tale,” the new documentary about our first African-American principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland.
The film opens Friday, in Los Angeles, at Laemmle Theatres.
At its best the film details the tenacity with which Ms. Copeland has pursued excellence as a world-class ballerina, overcoming obstacles with grace, dignity, modesty and humanity — not to mention sheer darling-ness. And with a ballistic high leg extension! Her elegant struggle inspires women.
In the Q & A following the film screening, Robyn Gardenhire, artistic director of City Ballet of Los Angeles, a former pioneering African American corps de ballets dancer with American Ballet Theatre and a friend of arts•meme, shared thoughts and feelings about her career and racial issues in classical ballet.
All photos by Dana Ross.