From growing up in a run-down motel which she called home for years, to glamorous New York City, Misty Copeland made her mark, becoming the first female to be a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Most girls and boys who dream of becoming ballerina’s start at the ripe age of three or four. But not Misty. Instead, she started at age thirteen. Misty said later that, “I was a late bloomer, starting ballet when I was only thirteen.” Although it seemed too late to start, Misty, with determination and support from teachers, became a “prodigy”. But Misty didn’t stop there. By the age of nineteen, she joined the Corps De Ballet at ABT. Even then, Misty said that her “ultimate dream was to become a principal dancer” which would later come to fruition. But before she could fulfill her dream, Misty set out to work hard and make her mentors and family proud. Famous ballerinas, such as Raven Wilkinson, were pleased and amazed with Misty. Even with struggles and injuries, Misty pushed forward, determined to show aspiring ballerinas that it’s never too late to make a difference. Even with her hard upbringing, Misty made history when she became the first woman to be a principal dancer at ABT. Through Misty’s life we can see that support and passion are some of the best qualities you need to achieve your dreams. She shows that passion and support can get you far. With Misty’s influence, young boys and girls can be inspired to dream big and work hard for what they want. Misty’s life proved that it doesn't matter where you come from or what ethnicity you are, you can still achieve great things.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Young Readers Edition
By Misty Copeland
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 4 - 7 | n/a | 6.4 | 35230 |
As the first African-American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland has been breaking down all kinds of barriers in the world of dance. But when she first started dancing—at the late age of thirteen—no one would have guessed the shy, underprivileged girl would one day make history in her field.
Her road to excellence was not easy—a chaotic home life, with several siblings and a single mother, was a stark contrast to the control and comfort she found on stage. And when her home life and incredible dance promise begin to clash, Misty had to learn to stand up for herself and navigate a complex relationship with her mother, while pursuing her ballet dreams.
Life in Motion is a story for all the kids who dare to be different, dream bigger, and want to break stereotypes in whatever they do.
Book Reviews (10)
I love reading this book a lot because it is so inspiring. It is about Misty Copeland, a famous ballerina. She goes through many challenges but she achieved great things.
Most people think that Misty Copeland, the dance prodigy, had an amazing life, but no, her life was very hard. As a child, Misty lived in a chaotic house with several other siblings and a single mother who was always scrambling to keep the household running, even with the shortage of money. Surprisingly, Misty only started dancing at age thirteen and no one ever guessed what she would become. But when her life at home and her dance life began to clash, Misty had to find a way to stand up for herself and navigate the complex relationships with her family while trying to pursue her ballet dream! This book is for lovers of dance, and real life stories of where determination helps make dreams come true!
After reading this autobiography, I truly learned something new. This story teaches me and others that we can do absolutely anything, from being a scuba diver to being a ballerina! In this book, the person that is introduced to us by the author itself is the famous Misty Copeland. Misty Copeland is an African American ballerina who achieved her goal as being the first principal dancer in ABT for years! Although Copeland went through rough times in her life, she still managed to keep up her dreams. In Misty's past, her family was poor, and not much could be done. Misty's mom was constantly switching boyfriends and husbands, Misty didn't even know if she had a home she belonged in. As Misty grew up, she went dancing and learned that ballet was one of her talents. Realizing that she could do almost any position, she continued and got motivated by her dance teacher, Cindy. Misty Copeland discovered that she could do anything, as long as she worked hard for it. I hope you consider to read this book because it INSPIRED me and I think it did to everybody else who's read this book. 5 out of 5.
After reading this autobiography, I truly learned something new. This story teaches me and others that we can do absolutely anything, from being a scuba diver to being a ballerina! In this book, the person that is introduced to us by the author itself is the famous Misty Copeland. Misty Copeland is an African American ballerina who achieved her goal as being the first principal dancer in ABT for years! Although Copeland went through rough times in her life, she still managed to keep up her dreams. In Misty's past, her family was poor, and not much could be done. Misty's mom was constantly switching boyfriends and husbands, Misty didn't even know if she had a home she belonged in. As Misty grew up, she went dancing and learned that ballet was one of her talents. Realizing that she could do almost any position, she continued and got motivated by her dance teacher, Cindy. Misty Copeland discovered that she could do anything, as long as she worked hard for it. I hope you consider to read this book because it INSPIRED me and I think it did to everybody else who's read this book. 5 out of 5.
After reading this autobiography, I truly learned something new. This story teaches me and others that we can do absolutely anything, from being a scuba diver to being a ballerina! In this book, the person that is introduced to us by the author itself is the famous Misty Copeland. Misty Copeland is an African American ballerina who achieved her goal as being the first principal dancer in ABT for years! Although Copeland went through rough times in her life, she still managed to keep up her dreams. In Misty's past, her family was poor, and not much could be done. Misty's mom was constantly switching boyfriends and husbands, Misty didn't even know if she had a home she belonged in. As Misty grew up, she went dancing and learned that ballet was one of her talents. Realizing that she could do almost any position, she continued and got motivated by her dance teacher, Cindy. Misty Copeland discovered that she could do anything, as long as she worked hard for it. I hope you consider to read this book because it INSPIRED me and I think it did to everybody else who's read this book. 5 out of 5.
Most people think that Misty Copeland, the dance prodigy, had an amazing life, but no, her life was very hard. As a child, Misty lived in a chaotic house with several other siblings and a single mother who was always scrambling to keep the household running, even with the shortage of money. Surprisingly, Misty only started dancing at age thirteen and no one ever guessed what she would become. But when her life at home and her dance life began to clash, Misty had to find a way to stand up for herself and navigate the complex relationships with her family while trying to pursue her ballet dream! This book is for lovers of dance, and real life stories of where determination helps make dreams come true!
Yours is way better than mines :) Fine job!
Awesome review!!
The autobiography that I chose was "Life in motion an unlikely ballerina" written by Misty Copeland with Brandy Colbert, the genre of this autobiography is nonfiction because it's the story of Misty Copeland's life that talks about all the obstacles she had to overcome. Life in motion had 184 pages filled with the story of how Misty Copeland became who she is today. She is a strong, independent women after facing constant hardships through out her whole life. She also found her love of being onstage at a very early age while doing a school talent show. Even after all the hateful comments she got she continued to work as hard as she could toward her dream of becoming the first African American principal dancer. No matter what people state you should always follow your dreams and achieve your goals even if people tell you that you can't. And that, you shouldn't feel like you always have to please someone else whenever you do something. The only person you have to please is yourself. These are the main lessons in this story because Misty overcame both of these problems for example, people told her that couldn't become a principal dancer or she couldn't play certain roles because she was African American. When people said things like this it pushed her to want to achieve these goals more than ever. I would recommend this book to people of all ages because Misty Copeland is a super inspiring role model for everybody, you don't have to be a ballerina for her to be an amazing inspiration. This is because she is such a strong and independent woman. Such as, when she was growing up she was constantly moving around including once moving in with an abusive step father, as well as, her family didn't have much money and they ate whatever they could afford to get out of the vending machine. Finally, one question I would like to ask Misty Copeland is, "Were all the injuries worth becoming a principal dancer?"
"Life in Motion-an unlikely ballerina" is a non-fiction autobiography by Misty Copeland and Brandy Colbert. The amount of pages cover to cover totals to the amount of 184 pages. The autobiography is mainly about Misty Copeland pursuing her dream of becoming a principal dancer in New York City. It additionally talks about how Misty Copeland faced many hardships as a child. Such as her family constantly moving around the United States, and having several dads because her mother kept re-marrying several men at a time. "Life In Motion is additionally a very encouraging story because Misty's past, and all of her hardships, made a tremendous impact on society. For instance, Misty Copeland started dancing because she took dance classes at the Boy's and Girl's Club. Then as she grew up to be older, she started a branch with the Boy's and Girl's Club, so that people could take dance classes there, just like Misty did. One main lesson to be learned in Misty Copeland's "Life In Motion" is that, no matter how many struggles and hardships you face, you can always pursue your dream. For example Misty Copeland was very traumatized as a child, and she faced many challenges while building her ballet career, but she knew that she was good at her passion, and that was good enough for her. Misty was bullied, and discouraged by her classmates, but she knew that if she was great at what she did, she could make here dream of becoming a principal dancer, become reality. "Life in Motion" also supports that when you fell discouraged, and when you feel like you cannot keep on going, you need to be the bigger person, and block out the negative thoughts. When Misty started ballet at the age of nine, many people, including her family were dragging down her dreams. And they wanted her to live an average teenage life. I would recommend this book to many young dancers because, Misty Copeland is very inspiring, and encouraging, and she can motivate many people who feel discouraged. Additionally, Misty Copeland had a very remarkable affect on people who read her book. Misty Copeland's "Life in Motion" has answers to many of my questions that I have, but if I could ask Misty Copeland one unanswered question, I would ask her, "Was all of the time, the injuries, and the sweat worth pursuing your dream?"
This is one of my favorite books ever! It is about Misty Copeland's life growing up which I found very interesting and exciting. My favorite part was hearing about how she got into the American Ballet Theatre, and how she got better from there. I really recommend this book for people who like dance, or for people who like stories about overcoming something.