This Online Documentary Brings to Light the Struggle of Latinos in Ballet

The second season of "Strictly Ballet," an online documentary by Teen Vogue, is focusing on the hurdles of young apprentices at the Miami City Ballet School. Among those students are many Latin Americans, recruited at an early age from their home countries and hopeful to meet their American dreams of becoming ballet dancers in the US.

The video series follows Gustavo and Mayumi from Brazil and Carlos from Cuba, as well as Margarita, born in Florida to Peruvian parents. Through the episodes, we see the Latino students discuss what it means to them to make it as a dancer in the US, be separated from their families in order to turn their dreams into reality, and identify with other dancers with Latin backgrounds they see on stage. "We left everything in Cuba. It was leaving our country, our house, leaving our people, leaving our language. You start from zero," says Carlos. Keep reading to meet the dancers, and see the first episode in full.