Commercial
Dance Leaps Into New SpotlightEmily Hyman
You know you’ve seen it, and if you haven’t - shame on you. It’s only the greatest commercial to ever be aired in the history of television. The dance world scores a point in the latest commercial from the Under Armour series “I Will What I Want” that features American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland.
The commercial opens to a young girl reading a letter of rejection from a prominent ballet school. The letter states that Copeland has the “wrong body” for ballet, specifically mentioning her feet, torso length and bust. As she reads the letter, Copeland begins dancing (flawlessly) across an empty stage. As the commercial ends, the viewer gets the satisfying news that Copeland is now a soloist with the most prestigious company in North America. Since its release, the commercial has pushed dance into an entirely new spotlight. A fresh change from the usual daintiness associated with ballet, the commercial allows viewers a backstage glimpse of both the power and strength required for ballet, all in 61 seconds. Another commercial highlighting the power behind dance is the Degree deodorant commercial featuring Jasmine Harper. Harper was a finalist in season 10 on the popular television show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Similar to the Under Armour commercial, the Degree commercial focuses on the trials of dancing and the perseverance needed to succeed. The commercial begins by showing Harper falling after leaping in rehearsal and ends with her triumphantly leaping across a stage in front of adoring fans. Both commercials provide viewers with an example of why dance is important. They show how anything can be achieved by hard work and perseverance, even in a world that desires a specific body type and does not typically compromise. Most importantly, the commercials give dancers the ability to show the world just a few of the possibilities in the realm of dance - and to fangirl over Misty and Jasmine. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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