Bay Area Ballerina Comes of Age | KQED Arts

Many of 18-year-old Miko Fogarty’s friends in Orinda, CA will be entering college in the fall. But not Miko. She is on her way to the United Kingdom to pursue a career as a professional ballerina for the prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet. It’s the latest leg in an artistic journey that began 13 years ago when as a kindergartner she fell in love with classical dance, and, after years of study with prominent Bay Area ballet teachers, enrolled at the San Francisco Ballet school.
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[@elifsusloly7440]

She looked so different since I watched First Position! She also really improved!

[@munchki628]

As an asian female who participated in multiple ballet programs and summer intensives across the US, I have to say that while discrimination against asians in ballet is not as severe as other races, it still exists, mostly unintentionally. To illustrate my point, look at the casting of roles in major ballet companies. While this isn't true for all companies, asian ballerinas at the principle level are more likely to be cast as "fairy" type roles rather than "heroine" type roles. When was the last time you saw an asian Juliet? Again this isn't every company, but there are still subtle aspects of ballet culture that perpetuate these stereotypes that may not seem prevalent if you're not living directly in that culture

[@KTRN52]

What a gorgeous young woman she's become!

[@dennislaux]

I think the majority of people have no concept as to how difficult this is and the stress and wear and tear on the body just like any professional; athlete. I admire them all and you specifically are simply wonderful.

[@annacorner7490]

saw her perform a few years back... she's even better in person

[@aliciah8250]

Anna Corner me too!!! It was amazing

[@bunnykoala]

Miko, you're gorgeous as always and know your strengths. If race has played a role in all these, let it be a good role. Way more people have remembered Miko as the wonderful ballet prodigy than her Asian, European, or mixed races. Focus on your strengths. You'll shine with your wisdom and encourage more ballerinas of "imperfect" bodies to dance their dreams.

[@t.w.8174]

japanese people were in concentration camps in the usa. white women still dominate ballet. Miko, speak your truth girl. don't ever let loud white people who don't know wtf they are talking about shut you down. im so proud of how you have grown, and for your mention of misty copeland.

[@easytoslip]

YES!

[@christar9527]

Sorry, maybe I don't know but she seems like she has a bit of an attitude problem to me (like some commenters here, ahem....).

[@fredrika27]

What they forgot to mention was all the awards and competitions she has won! Furthermore Asian ballerinas are not discriminated against as much as Black ballerinas. Case in point: ABT has about a dozen Asian female dancers throughout its ranks whereas Black female dancers are almost non-existent. Black males fair better with double the hires as their female counterparts.This despite the fact that Balanchine wanted an integrated chore back in the 1930s! Returning to body type, Miko is correct in saying that she may have problems. However she is not going to the Bolshoi or Paris Opera, both schools have cookie cutter dancers and have the reputation of refusing to train and integrate dancers of color. This was the case of Precious Adams who won the Gran Pre de Lausanne. She's going to a mid size company that will appreciate what she brings to the table and will most like offer her good roles if she works hard! Just like Michaela de Prince who was also shown in First Position and has traveled the world dancing

[@kimbridge]

+fredrika27 Yeah, that was interesting to hear her talk about race. It's even more ironic when you consider that she's from the Bay area, where the neighborhood, world class ballet company (San Fran) employs two Asian, female, principles (Francis Chung and Yuan Yuan Tang). Did she not audition there? I don't want to discredit her, because Miko definitely knows more about this than I do, but I think that if she doesn't have a meteoric career, it's not going to be because she's half Japanese.

[@Caskader]

+fredrika27 I don't see why Miko couldn't go to POB, (except maybe for the Gaynors). They have Alice Renavand, Hannah O'Neill, Sae Eun Park, Awa Joannais and Miho Fujii, and they used to have Miteki Kudo. There is/was also a boy from Hong Kong studying at their school.

[@fredrika27]

My point is that Miko has had less discrimination than dancers of African American heritage. This isn't discrediting Miko nor saying what she is experiencing is not true! I want Miko to state the facts! She has won many awards; therefore she has MORE CHOICES than many African Dancers of the same caliber! Paris has two apprentice black ballerinas while Russia discriminates against blacks, but will take Asians! Let's stop fooling ourselves especially since Misty Copeland is ABT's only soloist/principle dancer of color! It's 2016! The Mikos, Mistys, Preciouses, and Michealas of the world should be employed according to talent not race. I grow tired of hearing company directors say that a child of color can't do something because the majority i.e. whites refuse to accept integration! Ballet is dying and has a reputation as being elitist because of the stigmatization of minority dancers as unfit for the art! It's just shameful inequality in this beautiful art!

[@angelabrown-bessau4127]

@@fredrika27 Well said! I agree 100%.

[@lalalalala9451]

I’m sad she stopped but it’s good she’s happy :)

[@saradiamond9818]

This is the utlimate in beauty- inside and out! i wish her lots of success! Thank you for covering this.

[@pamelaweston7512]

Thank you for sharing your beauty and your story. Your goodbye to the Bay Area (I was born & raised here & can't imagine leaving) was a great gift to us!

[@Mahal2006]

Didn't she represent Switzerland in ballet competitions? I'm pretty sure she did.

[@daffo595]

What, there's been quite a few asian principals stepping up already, I'd say she even has an edge since she's partially white, its not like its a huge obstacle for her.

[@yuvrajkhanna5688]

It is certainly a superb performance. Proud to be associated. Surjeet & Mohan Khanna

[@clairek1131]

I kinda get how she feels. I always look at a bulletin board that displays all my dance school company dancers and think, "All those dancers, most of them are white. What would I look like up there on that board? Would I even get that far? Would I stick out like a sore thumb?" This season, only like about 2 dancers are not white and one principal (aka my teacher) seems to be part Asian. I wish more African dancers would join, and this is why I want to become a professional.

[@easytoslip]

same for me when I work my career in science. it's all white men in positions of power, but hey I must have 'issues' lol no

[@angelabrown-bessau4127]

The Ballet world is beautiful, but very very racist. It's changing slowly.

[@afoxesdream6444]

i love miko so much *-*

[@suzannehuggins1440]

Coodos to Miko Fogarty! What an amazing ballerina :) Love it!

[@ZoneCrasher]

Damn, ballet is beautiful.

[@nicolestiles730]

I've watched her dance for so long and I always love how beautifully she dances

[@stvsueoka1]

Kick ass hapa girl! ;)

[@jennifers6435]

BEAUTIFUL!

[@lucysarahbest]

Fantastic video Miko! We can't wait to have you living in the UK and seeing a lot more of you! Aunty Lucy and all your cousins and English relatives xxx

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

Gorgeous!

[@sarahinsf]

Beautiful dancing, dancer & drive! Good luck! :)

[@alyssamersey7355]

I think I saw her as an eleven y/o on that documentary my teacher showed us every damn year. She was good.

[@ysa6274]

she was in a movie called FIRST POSITION

[@dustylindy]

A beauty! Such a joy to watch over and over! An amazing body and oh my gosh those legs! Her stretch is fabulous! Her turns,so many! I'm upset that I didn't I know about her before now?

[@ivyarianrhod]

Linda D. Check out the ballet documentary "First Position."

[@dustylindy]

+Ivy B Will do! When I was a youngster in the 1940's, I begged my mom to let me take ballet lessons but we lived out on the farm and she didn't want to drive to town that often. I collected the ballerina jewelry box, porcelain statues and photos. In fact I went to local dance school's auction 2 years ago and got the final bid on a beautiful single ballet slipper decorated with flowers and "pearls"! Now that I'm "older and wiser", I've decided I could not have been a ballerina BECAUSE MY BIG TOE WOULDN'T BEND ! LOL!

[@Honey-nn6gg]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@alyssamersey7355]

Look at the pigeons.

[@martingardens]

Gumbatte!

[@taylerleigh4770]

China town 🤣🤣in San Fran

[@ysa6274]

when she was young

[@StacyA1000]

Does anyone know what she is doing now ? I looked at the Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers page and she isn't on there anymore . Did she get cut ?

[@easytoslip]

Teaching master classes in San Fran and San Jose in Aug 2018. Many photos of Miko in Japan on her facebook page and the Bham Royal Ballet just did a tour that included a month in Japan, betting she went along, but has to bide her time to make her way up in the company and earn a spot on their dancers page. Or it sounds like you already guess she got cut if you saw her listed there previously. Was she artist, apprentice? doubt she made principal already in her first year or two.

[@miavas4851]

It looks like she was let go at Royal Birmingham Ballet, which was a mistake. She should have been encouraged to continue her career as she had an exceptional talent. It's a big loss for ballet.

[@lindalando4812]

Merde!!

[@madeline_dg]

Being asian has almost no effect on how hard/easy it is for you to move up in ballet, especially in the Bay Area. Most of the girls in my ballet school were asian and, if they wanted to, they have gone on to very successful careers. Sorry if I'm stepping on (pointed! hah) toes, I just think that playing the race card when it's unnecessary is trying to get attention. If she really feels like she's experienced prejudice because of her race, then I guess I retract my statement and whomever has made her feel that way is an idiot; but honestly when you're looking at dancers on a stage, if the aesthetic of race matters to you, asians and whites look almost the same. Black dancers definitely do have it hard because being pale and waif-like is a big deal in ballet (my teachers always got irritated when anyone would tan). I think it's all ridiculous because it should be about the quality of dancing and the passion with which you are dancing, not what you look like. I have struggles in ballet because I have large breasts and child-bearing hips, even though I am fit and flexible and have beautiful ballet feet, I was always torn down for not having a childlike look about my body. The quality of my dancing rarely mattered because my body would "never make it into a real company." Misty Copeland is also a huge inspiration for me in that regard because, aside from overcoming the racial issues in the ballet world, she is a WOMAN. She has very full breasts and hips but her dancing outshines it all. Proud of Miko for coming so far-I'm really looking forward to seeing her career unfold, and would love if she'd come back home and join the SFBallet!

[@sliversilver]

+Madeline Dutton-Gillett being Asian generally means you are shorter and have flatter features. She's from the bay area but she's going on to a European stage, where there are more white dancers with longer legs and more coveted body features for ballet. I don't feel anything wrong with her for feeling the pressure and she's definitely not playing the race card to get attention (as a junior, being featured in a documentary has got her more than enough attention I think).

[@adelinasardothien8238]

Lmao shut up you're not Asian so you do not get to speak on her struggles etc. white people are sooooo annoying when they say shit like this

[@daffo595]

Birmingham royal ballet, and ENB, and Royal Ballet all have quite a number of full asians there. I think its stupid for her to talk about being prejudiced against because of race when she's HALF WHITE.

[@YurimoHikashi]

A Google User yeah she's flat like most ballerinas, I'm not hating but she's far from full breasted

[@YYT-ej3wz]

I hear you. If you look at most top ballet schools in NY now, many are filled with Asian students. America would get no futures in ballet if race card is being played on Asians here. Miko, though, does lack of the long-leg physiques that classical ballet usually requires, but that can be an issue for whites, Asians, blacks. Look at Sara Mearns, she doesn't have long legs that she admits but still a NYCB principal dancing swan lake. I really don't see the point of Asians using the race card, and I'm Asian myself. America is probably one of the countries that is the most acceptable on all body types in classical ballet.

[@謝遙-c1m]

What's this music??

[@viva7170]

+謝遙 la esmeralda

[@shooshita86]

+Vienna Li finally! thanks alot.Do you know what is the second piece that is playing while Miko is talking?

[@sliversilver]

+shooshita86 It's Le Corsaire (Pas De Deux)

[@jimmyers9523]

she had to overcome being asian? come on.shes american. and blessed.

[@YurimoHikashi]

Jim Myers she was talking about the physical aspect. Her Asian body

[@easytoslip]

no american has hurdles. if they are white and male. see how ridiculous this conversation is?