Misty Copeland Stuns In Degas Painting Ballet Recreations (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

American Ballet Theater's first African American principal dancer, Misty Copeland, partnered with Harper's Bazaar to recreate some of the famous paintings by French artist Edgar Degas. The photos will be featured in the magazine's March issue and will also be part of an exhibit at the New York Museum of Modern Art, Harper's Bazaar announced.

The exhibit, dubbed "Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty," will run from March 26 to July 24. Copeland recreated the artist's work by with the original poses and donning similar costumes to the ballerinas' in the paintings. Copeland's costumes were recreated by fashion designers like Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli and Valentino, according to Daily Mail.

The prima ballerina said that the recreations were not easy to pull off. "It was amazing just to notice all of the small details but also how he still allows you to feel like there's movement," she told the magazine. "That's what I think is so beautiful and difficult about dance too. You're trying to strive for this perfection, but you still want people to get that illusion that your line never ends and that you never stop moving."

Unlike most professional ballet dancers, Copeland didn't start formal training until she was a teenager. "I went to school, and I was really just trying to fit in and not be seen. But ballet was this thing that just felt so innate in me, like I was meant to be doing this," she revealed. "The [first ballet] class was given on a basketball court, and I was wearing my gym clothes and socks - pretty far from a Degas painting."

Now 33, Copeland was promoted to principal dancer by the New York dance company in July 2015, HNGN previously reported. She has been part of American Ballet Theater since 2000.

"It's not me up here," Copeland said in press conference following the announcement, according to The New York Times. "It's everyone that came before me that got me to this position."

Watch the behind-the-scenes production of Copeland's Degas recreations in the video below:

Tags

Art, Dance, Ballet, Culture