what was it like to join the american ballet theatre? >> yeah. some of the artistic staff of american ballet theatre and joffrey ballet and san francisco ballet and was given scholarships to attend their training programs, but abt was always the goal. they were the one company of all the elite major ballet companies around the world that you don't really have to go through a school in order to get in. they take dancers from different countries and cultures and, like, styles of training and schools. so, my teacher, i think, being very forward-thinking and looking, understood that as a black girl and as a young black woman coming into professional company, that that would probably be the best fit in terms of their diversity. >> was it? >> it was. i mean, hands down, i mean, they have had, throughout their history, such a diverse lineup of dancers, you know, superstars from russia and spain and italy and, i mean, just everywhere. >> and yet you were the only black woman dancer. >> right. >> and for the first 10 years, that was the case. >> and everyt