Life in Motion (BOOK REVIEW)
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
by Misty Copeland
Touchstone Books
Hardcover, $24.99
286 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 978-1-4767-3798-0
Book
Review by Kam Williams
“As
the only African-American soloist dancing with the prestigious American Ballet
Theatre, Misty Copeland has made history. But when she first placed her hands
on the barre at an after-school community center, no one expected the
undersized, anxious thirteen year-old to become a groundbreaking ballerina.
When
she discovered ballet, Misty was living in a shabby motel room, struggling with
her five siblings for a place to sleep on the floor. A true prodigy, she was
dancing en pointe within three months of taking her first dance class, and
performing professionally in just over a year: a feat unheard of for any
classical dancer.
From
behind the scenes at her first auditions to her triumphant roles in some of the
most iconic ballets… Misty opens a window into the life of a professional
ballerina… Life in Motion is a story of passion and grace for anyone who has
dared to dream of a different life.
--
Excerpted from the inside book jacket
Who would
ever have guessed Misty Copeland would one day become a world-class ballerina
with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre? After all, she had a rocky
childhood as one of six kids born to a struggling mother and several different
fathers.
Plus, Misty
and her siblings were raised in a rough L.A.
‘hood ruled by the Crips where you had to be careful to wear the right colors,
not the sort of upscale locale one ordinarily associates with ballet.
Furthermore, Misty couldn’t afford any lessons, let alone accoutrements such as
shoes which alone can cost as much as $80 a pair. Then there was the fact that
she was African-American and didn’t start training until the age of 13 when she
enrolled in a class being offered by her local Boys and Girls Club.
Nevertheless,
Misty miraculously managed to leap over or, should I say pirouette past, all of
those hurdles in pursuit of a career in ballet as a featured soloist. And, ala
Tiger Woods in golf and the Williams sisters in tennis, she’s blossomed into a black
rarity excelling in a field where being white and from a privileged background are
ordinarily prerequisites just to have a shot at making it.
Upon
arriving in New York City
at 16, Misty found herself ostracized by fellow ballerinas in the company on
account of her color. Thus, it only makes sense that “This is for the little
brown girls” might be an inspirational refrain repeated intermittently
throughout her moving memoir.
A poignant
primer proving the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.
To order a copy of Life in Motion, visit:
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