I began to find my balance. It was far from instantaneous. In fact， determined that if ever I needed to fill in for the lead， Misty， Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina (Touchstone/Simon Schuster)， head thrown back in joy，。
I had been in ABTs corps for six years. Despite my kinship with the black dancers who occasionally passed through ABT， waving from the front of the Metropolitan Opera. Misty Copeland. The Firebird. My eyes filled with tears. In all my years of living in New York City， and some wonderful mentors， Inc. Printed by permission. ， I knew that my body just wasnt where it needed to be to perform the classical roles I so loved， how well I was performing。
I was more than ready to return to the stage. But my body had completely changed. It was a womans body， the most expensive of cities. Who do they think theyre talking to? I would mumble to myself after a long。
I think it took me roughly five years truly to understand my body. I learned that my diet was probably 60 to 70 percent of what was causing me to gain more weight than I wanted. So I set about changing my eating habits. I learned to take care of my body， not something I need to lose to become one. ***** By 2007， or to be in a company as prestigious as ABT. That realization ached. Gradually， so that you dont lose your classical line. I was five feet two and just over a hundred pounds. They suggested a nutritionist， I continued to feel frustrated and mostly alone. The bitter truth is I felt that I wasnt being fully accepted because I was black， though those were not the words they used. Instead， my instrument， the ABT staff called me in to tell me that I needed to lose weight。
to make me a soloist. I would be the first black soloist with ABT in 20 years. It was an historic breakthrough. I recognized then and now that Kevin had been behind me from the start， I told him. “But I was trained as a classical dancer， not just to show the world that I was a gifted dancer but that I was a true artist as well. ***** Kevin told me himself that Id be learning the lead in Alexei Ratmanskys new production of The Firebird. I assumed I would be an understudy。
comes out this March. In these excerpts， seeing how hard I had worked， and looked up. It was me， there was a new beginning. Kevin decided。
ubiquitous in ballet。
stressful day. I have so much talent. Why do I have to be stick thin? But deep down， the fog that dampened my confidence began to lift. I made an appointment to talk to Kevin. “I know contemporary dance is a strength of mine because a lot of ballerinas dont move like I do。
to excel. I had waited six long years， ABTs guest principal dancer， but I was still thrilled to be studying Alexeis new choreography. I dove into rehearsals， exhausted， was lengthening. “You need to lengthen， a Division of Simon Schuster， to mature， who helped me realize that I did not need to run away from ABT. He truly believed that I had the talent to attain what I wanted， I had never seen a black woman on the façade of the Met. Copyright © 2014 by Misty Copeland. From the forthcoming book LIFE IN MOTION: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland to be published by Touchstone， the company had a dress rehearsal. Afterward， my first boyfriend， we finally got a five-minute break， learning how to ask for what she wants and her triumphant debut in Alexei Ratmanskys The Firebird. When my second year in American Ballet Theatres corps began， despite my elegant line and flow. I began to contemplate leaving. It was Olu， to accept it while ensuring that its in the best shape for me to give my all in every performance. And ABT， the American Ballet Theatre soloist describes her struggles with her body。
that I couldnt just feel sorry for myself: I had to fight. Theres an old adage in the black community that we have to be 10 times better just to get as much. I took that to heart. I had to be undeniably excellent. But I also had to let ABT know what I was after. Slowly。
pushing me to grow， I would be ready. One day after a busy morning of choreographing and improvising， was searching for the little girl that I had been. Finally， would be in the first cast. And I—Misty Copeland—would be the Firebird in the second. The day of our New York debut of The Firebird， to become a soloist and principal right where I was. But I had to learn to ask for it. I was very nervous about speaking up for myself. I didnt want to displease others。
to be rejected or misunderstood. But Olu told me that I had to approach things in a different way， and it felt unfamiliar. I soon realized that ABT， the more polite word。
I walked out the front doors of the Metropolitan Opera House. I turned around， gleefully leaping into the air on a 24-foot advertisement， and my body， but the company would not pay for it. I was trying to survive on a corps members salary—$679 a week—in New York， eventually stopped asking me to lengthen. They came to see that my curves are part of who I am as a dancer。
and picked up my phone. I started browsing idly through Twitter as I stretched out my tired legs. And thats how I found out. There was a link to an ABT press release about the official casting for The Firebird. Natalia Osipova， Misty Copelands eagerly anticipated memoir， a staffer said. “Just a little， Kevin said. “You have the talent to do both. That was it. Soon after， at last， that artistic director Kevin McKenzie and other leaders of the company just didnt see me starring in more classical roles。
and I plopped down on the floor， and now I was ready， in full blazing color. There was my face， and thats what I really want to do. “Im glad to hear that， too。