Misty Copeland's rise to the top was by no means easy. Only getting into dance at the age of 13, introduced to the art on a Los Angeles Boys And Girls Club Basketball Court, she was way behind her contemporaries that started years prior. She was told that she didn't have the right body type; but she pushed on & continuously drew attention in major dance contests over the next few years. Since that time, Misty Copeland went on to blaze a trail to create a new mold for what a ballerina does & looks like. She went on to win The 1997 Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Award (awarded to the best dancer in Southern California), before joining The Studio company in 2000 & The Corps De Ballet in 2001. Elevating to the status of a featured soloist in 2007, Ms. Copeland continues to amaze. Standing at 5'2 inches, and chiseled like a goddess, she could have been anything (model, basketball player, even MMA Fighter), which is a far cry from the stereotypical tall-skinny prototype ballerina. Yet another hurdle she not only conquered; but crushed.
In 2014, she capped off her year playing the Lead Role of Swanilda in "Coppelia" at the World Famous Metropolitan Opera House, in Australia playing the roles of BOTH Odette and Odile in "Swan lake," and published her biography "Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina." Let's watch to see what she does in 2015. Big Shout Out to My Wife for the assist on this post!
For more information, check out her website:
http://www.mistycopeland.com/home.html