Misty Copeland's Hard-Fought Journey To Ballet Stardom

Would you let people hold you back from doing what you love or would you overcome the obstacle? Misty Copeland was one of the first professional African American dancers. This is important because if she hadn’t done it then we still might not allow African Americans to be professional dancers. Also with her being brave and strong enough to not give up even when they didn’t like her she is teaching kids that you should not let others decide what you will do and who you will be. Misty Copeland’s obstacle was racism and persecution; it changed her because she gained strength to do what she loved despite the hatred.

The first experience of watching a ballet, for me or any little girl, can be fascinating and exhilarating. Wondering how a dancer can be so steady on her toes as she spins in circles and leaps through the air. Watching a ballet, there is a feeling of wanting to be graceful, as well as the warm sensation felt by a little girl as she slips into dream land. My mom had taken me to my first ballet when I was 11 years old. When we returned home home, she signed me up for classes at the local dance center. The expectations to become a prima ballerina would involve much hard work and concentration. I knew when I started it would take years of steady practice and commitment. Learning the history of ballet and the famous

“Journeys, planned and unplanned, are an inevitable part of life. Their consequences, foreseen or unforeseen, play an important part in a person’s growth.”

The book I chose for my book report was Life in Motion by Misty Copeland. She wrote this memoir to tell the story of all the struggles she had in her large family and in the ballet world. Misty Copeland is an African American ballerina that started dancing at a much later age than most dancers. In the ballet world most companies have had a specific body type for ballerinas. Because Copeland is African American and has a different body type, she has faced discrimination from many companies throughout her life.

Journeys can include those that are physical, mental or inner and are often accompanied by challenges that can change the individual mostly for the better. Journeys are taken for many reasons, some are taken from choice and others are compulsory. A journey can be lone or be accompanied. The outcomes of journeys may shape the individual as a person.

Have you ever thought what it would be like to be dancing up on your toes with the American Ballet theatre (ABT)? That’s just what happened, Misty Copeland currently a principal dancer at ABT had a dream to dance there ever since she started to dance and she didn't think that she could do it,but with training, hard work, and passion you can achieve anything. For the month of September I decided to read “Life in Motion” written by Misty Copeland. This book was very inspiring in many ways. I learned so much that I didn’t know, not only about Misty Copeland but also about ballet. I decided to read this book because, Misty Copeland is one of my idols, she is also a big inspiration and I really wanted to learn more about her. Overall this book was amazing. I would recommend it to  not only ballet dancers but to also people who love non-fiction because it is full of so many details and a lot of imagery that it makes a person feel like they are in her shoes dancing through her life. I would recommend this book because many people can relate to Misty Copeland in many ways, your mind wanders while reading, and because the plot was very unbelievable and surprising.

The push to keep training and maintaining the discipline of a Basketball player despite the initial rejection makes Michael Jordan iconic. He knew that the way to the top would not be easy, but he was determined to do all it takes to get there. This shows that no one who truly wants to make a mark should think that life is a bed of roses. There is something to overcome; there are disciplines to maintain if we want to get to great heights. We can overcome obstacles like a genius when we pattern our lives to do the things that geniuses do.

"I quit" (Copeland 34). Those were the first words out of Misty Copeland's mouth as she walked out of her first ballet class when she was only thirteen years old (Copeland 34). This quote illustrates just how hard Misty Copeland has had to work to achieve the greatness she has accomplished. If one would watch Misty Copeland today he/she may not believe this. The clean lines along with the stretched fingers would leave the viewer to think she has been doing this her whole life. Copeland, being black, has had to overcome many barriers the common ballerina would normally not have to deal with. With her being only thirty-four years old, she has worked many stressful hours to earn her spot in today's dance world. She was born on September 10, 1982 and grew up with six siblings (Biography.com). She moved often during her childhood due to her mother having multiple boyfriends and husbands. Although her family did not stay in one place long, the one constant thing in her life has always been dance. Dance, being her only outlet in her life, enabled her to focus extremely hard on her training. Every decision she made revolved around her dance career, even at the age of thirteen. Her unstable childhood and life events may lead the reader to question: what qualities did Misty Copeland obtain that enabled her to become a significant person in the dance

"You Can Do Anything You Want, Even If You Are Being Told Negative Things. Stay Strong and Find Motivation." Misty Copeland, an African American dancer, who fought through multiple hardships in her childhood.

Journey is the pathway to growing up. It is the feeling when you look up in the car after being on the road for a few hours and discover you are back home, the place you’ve been longing to get back to all week. It’s the realization that this time next year you will be halfway done with highschool. It’s all of those feelings wrapped up in one.

What happens when you complete your journey? In the texts “Back Roads” by Vinnie Rotondaro and “A Winter’s Drive” by ReadWorks the authors explain that when you take life slow and pursue the journey you reward will be waiting. Both stories have characters who go on a journey, whether it's to canada or just a trip, go slowly and pursue their trip to find their prize at the end. The characters in “Back Roads” decide to take the back roads instead of the highway and end up finding a small town with beautiful discoveries. The character in “A Winter’s Drive” wants to go back to his old house in Canada but is worried what he is looking for won't be there. He goes forth with the journey and finds what he is looking for is right where it was. In both

On every journey that has ever been taken by anyone must start from the same point. This is the point in life where a choice needs to be made. By choosing to go down certain paths you can find your way to success. However, the choice must first be made.

When speaking of the journey one is speaking of an act in which the mind or the body are going through a vigor of change and an instance of importance. The journey, whether literal or figurative, is a thing that could impact life, reason, and even passion for what one holds dear. Such as a woman realizing that medicine is their calling or a man having a roller coaster of emotions during their daily viewing of their favorite television show, a journey can be anything and at any level of life, but always an instance of importance.

“Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard for it”. Misty Copeland 32 year old American Theater principal dancer did not have an easy life. She struggled a lot, and that is why she should be Time’s person of the year. Misty defied the odds of society, and became the biggest ballet star in the world. Misty has never given up, and always pushed to believe she can do anything that is why she is a huge inspiration to girls everywhere.

In conclusion an individual’s journey could always involve the process of learning, maturation and self-discovery as a personal development. Therefore inner journeys increase our personal knowledge and understanding of others, although the play Away by Michael Gow and the film To Kill a Mockingbird by Robert mulligan involve three types of journey. They all demonstrated the inner journey throughout the play and the film giving us an understanding of an individual’s journey could have an impact on others. I would like to end my speech with a quote by Greg Anderson ‘Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing