Misty Copeland's Life In Motion

When I was four years old I was introduced to a tall, petite, beautiful ballerina who spun around the room with elegance, and effortlessly captured the crowd with her stunning abilities. As a little girl, I sparkled with admiration and was inspired to be all she was, it was from that point on, that I ventured into an unknown world of art, strength and expression. Now being eighteen years old with about fourteen years of experience in the dance world, I have learned and developed the norms, values and practices of the culture, and the conflicting theory within it.

The KKK chased her out and threatened her. Everyone tried to make her blend in so that she didn’t make the dance look bad. When people think of an African American dancer they have this stereotypical picture in their head of what they think all African Americans look like. “You lack the right feet, Achilles tendon, turnout, torso length, and bust for ballet” (“Misty Copeland Seeks to Inspire”). That was what she heard from a dance critique before they met Copeland. In ballet you dance together and you typically are supposed to look the same and dance the same. Being the only colored person makes you the one that sticks out and that isn’t the same and people back then didn’t think that was ok. “And it’s hard to be the one that stands out when you know in a ballet company you’re trying to create unison” (“Misty Copeland”). That was a direct quote that she said about herself.

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.

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 early life of Misty Copeland were lots of living problems. She was born September 10,1982. She lived in a poor motel with 6 kids! Her mom had many boyfriends so they had to move constantly but they finally settled in San Pedro. She went to the Boys and Girls club after school every day. Cindy offered Misty to live with her so Misty lived with her. Misty became a better dancer from living with Cindy but her mom wanted her back so Misty was back living with her mom. Misty also started dance. When Misty was told that she had the perfect ballerina body she tried dance. She started dance at the age of 13. She started at the Boys and Girls club and eventually made her way to San Pedro Ballet. She

Misty Copeland is a significant person in dance history because her confidence, independence, and perseverance have enabled her to break the color barrier in ballet, inspire young dancers by her troubled childhood, and make a comeback to save her

The beauty of their relationship is how much Scarfe respects Misty even serving as her personal mentor. When it is revealed that Scarfe was crooked cop on Cottonmouth’s payroll, he had a heart-felt conversation with Misty. Scarfe revealed, all the lies and crime he committed after losing his son and that he could sympathize with Misty on hard it is for a woman and even more so for a woman of color to make it as a detective in the force. Scarfe’s relationship with Misty reveals that, while he was acting on a criminal’s payroll he never faltered in his respect and support of her.

One of the many reasons Misty Copeland inspires me is how she doesn’t let anything knock her down. Being a dancer is hard, you see all the “perfect ballerinas” and it can really bring peoples self-esteem down. Dancers start to second guess even if they should dance, but Misty Copeland didn’t compare herself to anyone else on the dance floor. It wasn’t just her dance life that inspires me, her home life when she was younger is a big impact in many as well. Misty grew up with six siblings, her mom had several boyfriends and husbands, with her family constantly moving. At one point she was in a one room apartment with her family. After all of this happing to her she continued to carry on her personal life as Misty Copeland and broke all the barriers that tried to stop her. Instead of having her emotions take over and breaking her happiness, she continues life and that is one of the reasons why she inspires me.

Misty Copeland was born September 10, 1982 (age 34), height is 5’2 Kansas City, MO. She has written books one is Life in motion and An unlikely Ballerina and ect.

“Go within everyday and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out” (A Quote by Katherine Dunham 1). Once one of the most successful dancers in both American and European theater, Katherine Dunham, a dancer, anthropologist,social activist,and educator, continues to inspire people throughout the world. Named America’s irreplaceable Dance Treasure in 2000. Dunham remains a name heard regularly in dance schools across the world (“Katherine Dunham Biography” 4). She is known for always trying to make a difference and in the process she has become of the world’s greatest humanitarians (Osumare 5). Katherine Dunham’s work in African American rights in the dance world and her creation of new styles of dance makes her an important figure in American dance History.

Mrs. Farrell’s book is quite technical when it comes to the lengthy descriptions of the dances she rehearses and performs; from a dancer’s view these varied conclusions of the types of movements she was dancing is quite astonishing. In fact, it adds a whole new level to the imagination that can come alive in a person’s thoughts when they read an expressive book. Although the technical explanations will excited, astound, and reveal how much passion and deep meaning ballet had in Suzanne Farrell’s life, but a reader, who may not be involved in the arts will be unfamiliar with the ballet and musical terms in

Misty May-Treanor, an outstanding three time Olympian champion, once said, “I would like to instill in people just to work hard. As long as they keep at it, their dreams will happen.” Working hard guided her to countless, fantastic events in her life, and made her who she is today. Misty achieved her dreams by keeping at it all the way through the rough times. She didn’t stop even for one moment.

At the time of discovery, Misty was drill team captain at her middle school, when her coach noticed her special talent. She told Misty to take a free ballet class at the Boys and Girls club in San Pedro. Reluctantly, she went, feeling embarrassed, considering she knew nothing about ballet. The ballet instructor, Cindy Bradley, who taught the class, noticed her special talent and encouraged her to take more class. Eventually, Misty began to learn more and develop her skills faster.

“I'm 5'2", I Started When I Was 13, I'm Black, But I've Made It Happen. I'm Very Lucky To Be Where I Am... It's Possible," said American Ballet Dancer, Misty Copeland (Racine). To get to where she is today, Misty Copeland went through a rough childhood of living in a motel, accomplished her goal of becoming the first African American principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, and has become influential to women and the diversification of classical ballet (“Discover Misty’s Journey”). I’ll start with where her story began.

Misty May-Treanor is an amazing volleyball player who takes the sport very seriously. She just wants to live a typical life with no surprises, but her spectacular talent gets in the way; “I don't want to be put on a pedestal. I want to be known as a nice and normal person, but my skills are a little more excelled.” She is very excited that she got the privilege to be on the USA’s team at the Athens, 2004 Olympics.