Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina

This is an awesomely human story of gracefully enduring and overcoming extreme adversity, and achieving superlative success in the process. The compelling aspects of her story and challenges are so many, but I will try to enumerate some highlights here: (1) Age - Misty Copeland's story should inspire everyone who has ever wondered: Am I too old to start this? She was adventurous enough to give herself a chance, and in turn, the world gave her chance. (2) Poverty - Copeland's story challenges all of us who see money and wealth as the only means to advancement. If you've ever asked yourself: Am I too poor or unresourced for this? Copeland will challenge you to believe the answer is a resounding "NO." (3) Race - Again, Misty Copeland did not view her surroundings as limitations, even when most of her mentors, her role models, and her peers did not look like her. For all who wonder: Do I have the wrong racial heritage to pursue this? Her story helps us see that often times the only glass ceiling that matters is the one we impose on ourselves. (4) Controversy - As a young adolescent who just achieved budding fame as a rising star, Copeland managed to cope with a media hailstorm of attention surrounding her family life and living situation. Her siblings taunted her because she was so passionate about a dream they could barely understand. And at times, she barely had parental support for her goals. If you find yourself asking: How can I be sure this is the right path when so few people understand my goals? or How can I achieve my goals with so much negative attention around me? Misty Copeland's story is also abundant with insipiration. (5) Being Black in America - While Copeland received some tastes of American racism toward African Americans from some of her father figures and members of her extended family, her skin color and her body proportions as an adult installed challenges that most (i.e., practically all) mainstream ballerinas do not encounter. If you ever thought: Am I too dark for this? or Am I too fat for this? Misty Copeland's story has gems of triumph for you also. Bottom line: If you are looking for inspiration, look no further. This story has so much for everyone. And it is beautifully written. I am so thankful that Misty Copeland has shared her story with the world. And I am so thrilled that I get a chance to continue rooting for her as she continues to dance and break barriers.

Life In Motion A vast majority of people face discrimination, insecurity, poverty, and several other struggles everyday. But some of those people overcome their struggles and find their sense of confidence. In Life In Motion, an autobiography, Misty Copeland breaks down multiple barriers as a ballerina and as a human being. The autobiography of Misty Copeland begins with her struggles in early life, before she started dancing. One struggle was that her family was constantly on the move and they had a shortage of money. Then, when Misty was thirteen years old, she met a woman that changed her life. That woman was Cindy Bradley. Cindy is who introduced Misty to ballet. She started studying ballet at age thirteen and at that age it was considered “late”. But she continued to dance and she fell in love with the art form. Once Misty was hired at a ballet theatre, she began to realize that she was the only African American there. She felt lonely and insecure. Her story creates imagery and describes the hardships Misty had to deal with as an African American ballerina. The book itself was very interesting. It was also believable because it’s about ballerina’s actual life. Misty thoroughly describes the events and struggles that she had to face in order to become what she dreamed of. Life In Motion includes what individuals have to go through in everyday life. The main character and author, Misty Copeland, has a very difficult time with being and looking different. She starts out being a shy, insecure girl. But through ballet she found her voice and passion. Ballet helped transform her into a strong, confident woman. She accepted herself eventually. Misty states in her book, “I will forever fight.” She had to work extremely hard to reach her goal. I strongly recommend Life In Motion to others, especially if the reader loves dance or has felt with discrimination and/or feeling lonely. It is an inspiring read. It is my favorite book I have ever read. Life In Motion is a book about overcoming barriers, making change, and never giving up.

I saw her commercial for Under Armour but had never heard of her before that. I looked her up online and came across this book/ I really liked it. Made me want to immediately buy tickets to see her dance in person, but she's not in a lot of performances in NY this year. Will definitely try to see her when I can. Very interesting, inspirational, beautiful woman both inside and out.

Published in 2014, this book reports the background and struggles and ultimate success of Misty Copeland, an inspiration to the dance world. When her brother screamed at her, "Dancers are dumb," she responded that he never understood all that it took to be a dancer. Dancers "had to meld so many parts -- our brains, our emotions, our bodies -- to put on a performance that hid all the strings. leaving only stardust for the audience to see." (Page 170)

Une très bonne autobiographie, agréable à lire et qui fait découvrir un monde méconnu : celui de la danse classique. Inspirant aussi de voir tous les obstacles de la vie que Misty Copeland a dûs surmonter, pour atteindre la consécration.

Era un libro recomendado y que me ha satisfecho plenamente. Además, me ha parecido muy eficaz su sistema de servir el material. Enhorabuena. Muchas gracias

I decided to buy this book as I love biographies and have been a dancer, a dance mum and a dance costumer. It didn't disappoint. Misty shares her journey openly with the reader in a way that opens the door into her world. The discipline of ballet is demanding both physically and mentally. Add in the layer of breaking down racial barriers and it takes a strong person to succeed. Well done. I hope one day I get to see her dance live on stage.

Ich liebe es! Biografie der schwarzen afro-amerikanischen Ballerina Misty Copeland, stark, mutmachend, mit vielen Opfern und Kränkungen verbunden - ein Sieg weiblichen Selbstbewusstseins im Tanz!

ABTの今大活躍中のソリストの自伝です。 初めての黒人ダンサーとのことですが、クラシックバレエ界では珍しいこと。 でも彼女は魅力的で美しいダンサーですよね。 ABTはやはり革新的なバレエ団ですね。 実力があれば、魅力があれば道は開ける！アメリカはやっぱりすごい！ これからも楽しみです！