--- title: Girl Dances to Aretha Franklin for Recital: Video description: Little girl from Raleigh North Carolina performs sassy dance routine to Respect by Aretha Franklin canonical: https://time.com/3914097/aretha-franklin-respect-girl-dance-recital/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-09T14:21:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:38.090Z og:title: Girl Dances to Aretha Franklin for Recital: Video og:description: Little girl from Raleigh North Carolina performs sassy dance routine to Respect by Aretha Franklin og:url: https://time.com/3914097/aretha-franklin-respect-girl-dance-recital/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Girl Dances to Aretha Franklin for Recital: Video twitter:description: Little girl from Raleigh North Carolina performs sassy dance routine to Respect by Aretha Franklin twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production video:duration: 02:34 video:published: 2015-04-16 section: entertainment topics: ballet, dance career, diversity in ballet, representation, African American ballerinas, body image, American Ballet Theater, role models, childhood hardship, work ethic genre: interview, profile tones: inspirational, reflective, hopeful, personal emotions: hope (high), inspiration (high), determination (medium), gratitude (medium) sentiment: positive audience: ballet fans, general audiences, young people, arts educators, people interested in diversity and representation people: Misty Copeland, Raven Wilkinson organizations: American Ballet Theater transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable --- # Watch This Little Girl's Sassy Dance Routine to Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Misty Copeland On Changing the Face of Ballet [Watch (HLS stream): Misty Copeland On Changing the Face of Ballet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hwcdTt33.m3u8) (2:34)  _Published 2015-04-16. "I never thought I could make a career out of something I enjoyed doing something I was passionate about, something that gave me a voice," says Copeland, who is one of the first African Americans to be a soloist with American Ballet Theatre._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Misty Copeland describes how dance entered her life unexpectedly when she was 13 and living in a motel with her mother and five siblings. She credits African American women, including Raven Wilkinson, with motivating her. She talks about wanting to model a healthy image of what a ballerina can be and about American Ballet Theatre representing what Americans look like. She hopes for more diversity on stage and in audiences, so that children can see themselves and their possibilities in performers. ## Key points - Dance came into Copeland's life unexpectedly when she was 13, living in a motel with her single mother and five siblings. (00:17) - Copeland says she never thought she could build a career from something she enjoyed, was passionate about and that gave her a voice. (00:31) - A number of African American women pushed and motivated her during times she doubted she could do it, including Raven Wilkinson. (00:39) - Raven Wilkinson is described as one of the first African American ballerinas to dance in a major ballet company. (00:49) - Copeland wants to set an example of a healthy image and show that a ballerina does not have to be a rail-thin white woman. (00:56) - She says American Ballet Theater helps represent what Americans look like and that dreams are possible with the right work ethic and support. (01:13) - Copeland hopes to see more diverse stages and audiences, saying people want to see themselves represented in performers. (01:38) - She wants a child seeing her on a cover to see endless opportunities and possibilities they never thought they could attain. (02:03) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:39] Unexpected start in dance. Copeland recalls discovering dance at 13 while living in a motel with her family and not imagining it as a career. - [00:39 to 00:56] Women who motivated her. She credits African American women, including Raven Wilkinson, with pushing and motivating her. - [00:56 to 01:38] Redefining the image of a ballerina. Copeland explains her wish to show that a ballerina can look like the world and that American Ballet Theater represents Americans. - [01:38 to 02:34] Hope for diversity and representation. She hopes for more diverse stages and audiences so children can see themselves and their possibilities. ## Key quotes - [00:17] Misty Copeland: "way that dance came into my life was very unexpected." - [00:31] Misty Copeland: "never thought I could make a career out of something I" - [01:09] Misty Copeland: "that's rail thin [ LAUGH ]. That she can, she can look" - [01:38] Misty Copeland: "hope to see more diversity on the stage when I'm 60" - [02:03] Misty Copeland: "want a younger child looking" ## Questions this video answers - How did Misty Copeland come to dance? [00:17] - Who motivated Misty Copeland during times of doubt? [00:39] - What image of a ballerina does Copeland want to set an example for? [00:56] - What does Copeland say American Ballet Theater represents? [01:13] - Why does Copeland want more diversity in ballet audiences and on stage? [01:38] - What does Copeland want children to see when they look at her? [02:03]  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Jun 9, 2015 2:21 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Jun 9, 2015 2:21 PM UTC A six-year-old tiny dancer from Raleigh, North Carolina, is going viral for her especially animated routine to Aretha Franklin’s 1967 hit “Respect” at a recital Saturday night. Johanna’s performance has racked up nearly 23 million views since mom Elissa M. Colón [uploaded a video of it to Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/elissa.colon/videos/10153350768798446/) on June 7\. [Colón told TODAY.com](http://www.today.com/parents/little-girl-dances-aretha-franklins-respect-recital-t25201) that her daughter didn’t know who the Queen of Soul was, but when she heard the song, she said, “Ooh, she’s got a lot of sass, mommy.” ### See Barbie Suited up in 3D Printed Armor  The three Barbie outfits in Rodda's "Faire Play Battle Set". Jim Rodda  The helmet of the gold suit of armor in the "Faire Play" battle set. A rose garden pattern is repeated throughout the armor. Jim Rodda  Barbie stands in her silver suit of armor, complete with shield and sword. Jim Rodda  Barbie holds a bow and arrow in her medieval robe. Jim Rodda  3D printed quiver with bow and arrow. Jim Rodda ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:08] The [00:17] way that dance came into my life was very unexpected. [00:20] I [00:23] was 13 years old living in a motel with my single [00:26] parent, my mother, and five of my siblings. I [00:31] never thought I could make a career out of something I [00:33] enjoyed doing, something I was passionate about, [00:35] something that gave me a voice. There's [00:39] just been a, a whole slew of African- American -. [00:42] Women who have just really pushed me and motivated [00:46] me during those times that I didn't know if I could do [00:49] it. Raven Wilkinson, one of the first African American [00:52] ballerinas to dance in a major ballet company. It's [00:56] important for me to set an example of what a [01:01] healthy image is. What a ballerina can be. That [01:05] she doesn't have to be a white woman, [01:09] that's rail thin [ LAUGH ]. That she can, she can look [01:13] like the world and I think that's what American Ballet [01:16] Theater also helps to represent is what American's [01:19] look like, and that dreams are possible [01:23] here and that you really can. Push yourself to become [01:27] anything with the right work ethic and support around [01:30] you. [ MUSIC ] I [01:38] hope to see more diversity on the stage when I'm 60 [01:41] years old. Watching in the audience. I hope the [01:44] audience is more diverse. I think that's why people go [01:47] to see performances. They want to see something [01:50] beautiful but they also want to seem themselves up [01:52] there. They want to be able to dream of what maybe [01:55] they dream about doing. You know, going up there [01:58] and dancing but it's hard to envision that when. And [02:00] you don't see yourself represented up there. I would [02:03] want a younger child looking [02:07] at me on the cover, to see themselves. To see endless [02:11] opportunities, to see possibilities that maybe [02:15] they never even thought were something that they [02:18] could attain. I want them to be able to see. Treams [02:20] through me. 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