If you dream it, you can achieve it. Misty Copeland's meteoric rise in the world of ballet exemplifies these words. Starting from humble origins, Misty and her five siblings were constantly moved around the country as their mom lived with and married many men. She took her first ballet class at age thirteen at a Boys and Girls Club, and the teacher discovered she was a prodigy. The combination of family issues, being a black ballet dancer in a world still mostly lily white, and the pressures of her publicized talents has made Misty's road to becoming a soloist in the prestigious American Ballet Theatre challenging. It was fascinating to learn about her rocky road to fame. I am not a big fan of biographies, but I wanted to read this one because I was so impressed with Misty's eloquence when she judged on So You Think You Can Dance this past summer. I was intrigued to find out how a black woman fought her way to the top in the predominantly white world of dance. It was disappointing to read that despite her accomplishments, she has still not been named a principal dancer, the highest honor, at ABT, especially since they have never had a black principal dancer. I was so impressed how she continues to stay positive as she has to fight so hard for every victory and has been denied much based on the color of her skin. For many of her stories, I think there is another side to the story, but this does not take away from what she has accomplished.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland
If you dream it, you can achieve it. Misty Copeland's meteoric rise in the world of ballet exemplifies these words. Starting from humble origins, Misty and her five siblings were constantly moved around the country as their mom lived with and married many men. She took her first ballet class at age thirteen at a Boys and Girls Club, and the teacher discovered she was a prodigy. The combination of family issues, being a black ballet dancer in a world still mostly lily white, and the pressures of her publicized talents has made Misty's road to becoming a soloist in the prestigious American Ballet Theatre challenging. It was fascinating to learn about her rocky road to fame. I am not a big fan of biographies, but I wanted to read this one because I was so impressed with Misty's eloquence when she judged on So You Think You Can Dance this past summer. I was intrigued to find out how a black woman fought her way to the top in the predominantly white world of dance. It was disappointing to read that despite her accomplishments, she has still not been named a principal dancer, the highest honor, at ABT, especially since they have never had a black principal dancer. I was so impressed how she continues to stay positive as she has to fight so hard for every victory and has been denied much based on the color of her skin. For many of her stories, I think there is another side to the story, but this does not take away from what she has accomplished.
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AuthorMs. Smith has been the librarian at Washington HS in Sioux Falls, SD, since 2005. She enjoys reading, watching K-Dramas, Harry Potter and hanging out with her family. Archives
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