Misty Copeland became the idol of aspiring ballerinas everywhere this past June when the American Ballet Theatre named her their first female African-American principal dancer.
And now she's trying on the role of a few other iconic ballerinas— the subjects of Edgar Degas' dancer paintings and sculptures. With the help of some gorgeous costumes and her own grace and form, Copeland looks like she was ripped right out of Degas' painting "The Star." And with a braid and steady posture, she perfectly mirrors the pose of his sculpture "Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen."
Copeland was photographed as the subject of the famous works of art, by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory, for Harper's Bazaar. Browar and Ory created The Dance Project, a collection of ballet photography which has included shots of Copeland before.
She explained her thoughts on the shoot to Harper's Bazaar, saying, "Trying to re-create what Degas did was really difficult. It was amazing just to notice all of the small details but also how he still allows you to feel like there's movement."
The full spread will be featured in Harper's Bazaar's March issue, which will be out on February 16.