Misty Copeland: Breaking Barriers
Misty Danielle Copeland is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. By all accounts, Misty was an unlikely ballerina. She started dancing at the age of 13, which is rather late to pursue ballet, while living in a motel with her mom and five siblings.
“It was like, are we going to have enough money to pay this weekly rent out of motel.. but it was also just the shame and the sense of having a secret for most of my childhood, so I never had friends, my siblings were my best friends. It was that fear of people finding out about and judging.” ~ Misty on the In Depth With Graham Bensinger Show
Her life to took a positive turn when a dance instructor invited her to take ballet classes. When Misty’s mom had to ask to stop the lessons as these became too difficult to afford, her dance teacher Cindy stepped in offering her to live with her to continue with intensive ballet training.
After two years, Misty Copeland found herself in the midst of a legal battle at a fragile age of 15 when she briefly filed for emancipation to continue living with her teacher.
“I just hope to become a famous ballerina”, said Misty in 1998 on a television program.”
