{"id":151222,"date":"2015-06-05T18:41:54","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T18:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/"},"modified":"2018-09-08T01:01:25","modified_gmt":"2018-09-08T01:01:25","slug":"securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-151222 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151223\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o8_640-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o8_640-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o8_640-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151224\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o9_640-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o9_640-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o9_640-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151225\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o5_500-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o5_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o5_500-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151226\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o6_1280-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o6_1280-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o6_1280-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151227\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o4_1280-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o4_1280-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o4_1280-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151228\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o7_540-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o7_540-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o7_540-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151229\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o1_500-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o1_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o1_500-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/attachment\/151230\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o2_r1_400-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o2_r1_400-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tumblr_nho1553GOL1r5spg1o2_r1_400-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/securelyinsecure.tumblr.com\/post\/112982453104\/brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin-south-carolina\" class=\"tumblr_blog\" target=\"_blank\">securelyinsecure<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2><b>Brooklyn Mack<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Raised in Elgin, South Carolina, Brooklyn Mack initially took up ballet as a way to improve his football playing and athleticism when he was 12 years old. At the age of 15, he began training in Washington, D.C. on a full scholarship with the prestigious Kirov<br \/>\nAcademy of Ballet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.beyonce.com\/brooklyn-mack\/\" target=\"_blank\">Currently, he is in his fifth season<br \/>\nas a principal dancer with the Washington Ballet and has found international<br \/>\nfame in his craft, helping to break down racial barriers in the world of<br \/>\nballet.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mack has received awards from<br \/>\nthe Helsinki International Ballet Competition, the USA International Ballet<br \/>\nCompetition, the Boston International Ballet Competition, and the Korean<br \/>\nInternational Dance Competition, among many others. In 2012, he became the<br \/>\nfirst African-American man to win a senior gold medal at the renowned Varna<br \/>\nInternational Ballet Competition (sometimes dubbed the Olympics of<br \/>\nballet).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Of being a black ballet dancer,<br \/>\nMack told\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ebony.com\/entertainment-culture\/brooklyn-mack-brings-black-boy-magic-049#axzz3SlRy8tAp\" target=\"_blank\">Ebony Magazine<\/a>:\u00a0<b>\u201cPeople<br \/>\ncan pretend all they want but race is still very much an issue. You\u2019re either<br \/>\nblind or in denial if you think it\u2019s not. And there\u2019s a reason that seeing an<br \/>\nAfrican American person or a dark skinned person on a ballet stage stands out.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s because you don\u2019t see much of that. Still in a lot of circles there are<br \/>\nidiotic misconceptions. You\u2019d hear things like black people are anatomically<br \/>\nnot designed in a way that they can do ballet. Or black people can\u2019t point<br \/>\ntheir feet. Just stupid stuff still today. There\u2019s less and less thank God, but<br \/>\nstill.\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>He added:\u00a0<b>\u201cSo it\u2019s<br \/>\ngreat to talk about diversity because unfortunately a lot of youth especially<br \/>\nare so impressionable. Had I had a different family, I easily could have been<br \/>\ncrushed by those things that people say. I think it\u2019s really important to talk<br \/>\nabout it, so that young people can know there are no limits. Throughout history<br \/>\nwe\u2019ve excelled at everything we\u2019ve had a chance to do. That\u2019s part of my goal.<br \/>\nI want to shed as much light as possible.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Mack will continue to exemplify<br \/>\nexcellence in dance while paving a way for more African-American dancers to<br \/>\nreceive support in ballet. Indeed he is slated to make history by starring<br \/>\nalongside Misty Copeland in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beaconreader.com\/jamila-bey\/misty-copeland-and-brooklyn-mack-bringing-historic-debut-of-swan-lake\" target=\"_blank\">Washington<br \/>\nBallet\u2019s ground-breaking production of Swan Lake.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Twitter:\u00a0<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bmack805\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/bmack805<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Instagram:<\/b>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/brooklynmack5\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/instagram.com\/brooklynmack5<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>securelyinsecure: Brooklyn Mack Raised in Elgin, South Carolina, Brooklyn Mack initially took up ballet as a way to improve his football playing and athleticism when he was 12 years old. At the age of 15, he began training in Washington, D.C. on a full scholarship with the prestigious Kirov Academy of Ballet. Currently, he is &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/06\/05\/securelyinsecure-brooklyn-mack-raised-in-elgin\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[2809,1355,4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151231,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151222\/revisions\/151231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}