“I come from a favela in Brazil. I am black. I have a poor family. Yet, despite all those odds, I became a ballerina. I had to get by on my own [upon arriving in New York at the age of 19 on a full scholarship to the Dance Theatre of Harlem]. That’s when I grew up and learned to appreciate what my parents taught me. I’m not here [at Dance Theatre of Harlem] because I’m poor. I’m here because of my dancing.” —Ingrid Silva