Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Kindle Edition

As s white male working toward my eighth decade, I am unlikely person to appreciate an African American woman's story of becoming a ballerina. However I found this book hard to put down. It is an engrossing read about someone discovering their talent and passion. I do appreciate ballet as an art and am delighted with Misty's courage and perseverance in pursuing excellence in this most demanding art form. I also admire her aspirations to make dance more available to a much wider audience. Misty has shaped her body into an instrument of beauty and art. Along the way she shaped her soul to be an inspiration to many.

I've always loved Classical Ballet; I feel it's the most beautiful form of dance there is. It's something my wife and I share. When I met I her she had a Mikhail Baryshnikov calendar on her wall. She danced when she was very young. She introduced me to Ballet and Artistic Gymnastics, both she had done in her youth. Sadly ended by injury. We both love to watch "So you think you can dance." as it brings some fantastic dancers to the stage and some of the wildest choreography I have ever seen. It brought us "Twitch"! This last season we were watching as usual and I noticed a guest judge I had never seen before and I asked my wife who it was. She asked me, "You don't know who that is?" I had no idea other that she looked very serious. She said "That's Misty Copeland; one of the best ballerina's there is anywhere." I shrugged my shoulders, "OK." Her critiques were so precise and on point; every toe point; every movement; every emotion. I was like, "This dancer knows her business." I was impressed and I believe she was on for two episodes. My wife still was asking me how could you not know who she is? One thing I did know; she knows her business. The above notes don't relate directly with her book but will. I'm married to a Latina and she told me that she wasn't always welcomed in allot of circles due to her not being white. Being white, I didn't fully get it because I wasn't raised that way. The statement "This is for the brown girls." should and probably relates to all women or men of color. Reading that made me sad but it should make every decent person sad. Her story was a great read. It was one of a young prodigy being pushed and pulled in so many directions at a young age that tore at her feelings so drastically that it it was painful to read in some places. So many families have to endure hardships and many talented people whether it's dance, acting, other sports or academia are kept from them because there is no one there to see the talent. Those are the ones who suffer. I'm glad the Boys and Girls club was there for her and she was discovered; what a waste it would have been to have never seen such talent. Thanks Misty for giving back to those who helped get you started. The book is very open and raw; she doesn't hold back on any of her life story. It's happy in many places and heartbreaking in others. It's a journey of a budding artist who tells her story almost from when she can remember to this year. She gives those in her life who helped her more than just credit; she showers them with praise. She admits to the reader her fears and how she overcame them (I love Krispy Kreme too). For so many to take to her, shows a spirit not found in many people no matter what race they are. In the end her family is her biggest love and that crowns the book for me. I hope my wife and I can see her dance live one day; that would be a truly wonderful experience. That recalls the dance of Firebird with stress fractures. Most athletes would be sidelined with that. It boggles the mind how she did that.I'll check out Firebird when I get a chance. Thanks for a great experience.

Before reading this book I did not know about Misty Copeland. I've been so engrossed in writing my own book that somehow I missed all Misty Copeland's TV interviews and announcements of becoming a principal dancer for ABT, and her ads for under armour ads. So this book was my first introduction to her. Misty Copeland's story is fascinating. She did a phenomenal job catapulting the reader into her world on page 1. I, like many other "brown girls and women" can relate to the complexities of what it means to be an impoverished African American child trying to reach your goals. This book nailed it. However, Life in Motion is not just for African American girls. I think many of the themes found in this book is universal "working hard to accomplish your goals," "finding your voice," "the art of perseverance," "tools in relinquishing fears," "forgiveness." The list goes on. Misty repeats often that her goal going forward is to reintroduce the world to the art of ballet. She has succeeded with me. I plan to attend a local ballet performance and I plan to see Misty perform as well. Bravo!!!

Misty Copeland's life is an inspiring story for any young person! My young ballerina is a huge fan of hers but as a mother, I see her story as applicable to anyone. It's about not giving up, not listening to the nay-sayers, and truly paying attention only to that inner voice. Ms. Copeland has demonstrated tremendous perseverance and dealt with it gracefully. I recommend this book for any young person, male or female! Even more "mature" individuals who still want to learn how to embrace life with passion and fearlessness! Thank you Misty Copeland for publishing your story.

Years ago I saw a segment on the custody battle for Misty and kept her name in my mental rolodex but didn't follow her career. Many years later I saw her perform with Prince and was elated to learn that she was a principal with ABT. This memoir gave me great insight into the confidence, determination & perseverance that make up Misty Copeland. Despite an early chaotic life Misty was fortunate that her talent was recognized & nurtured which ignited her passion for the dance.While I think her early memories were very detailed, it seemed that from then on it gets a little choppy as she glosses over events and skips years but luckily the detailed beginning of the book gave me great insight into the fortitude of this young woman. My favorite passages were (1) when she found out that she had been promoted to a Principal Dancer at ABT while taking a class at the Dance Theatre of Harlem ; (2) her 1st performance of Firebird and subsequent recuperation from surgery and (3) preparation for and accompanying Prince during his tour.All in all Misty's memoir is an inspiration to all who have a dream, work hard to pursue it and see it come to fruition.

Misty Copeland is a very elegant, graceful and inspiring young lady. I knew nothing of her until late last year when i saw her "i will what i want" AD on Youtube. From that very moment i was mystified! I had never in my life seen a brown ballerina and Misty Copeland is a beautiful one at that. l added this book to my "Amazon Wishlist" but didn't end up buying and reading it until 1 year later. Silly me! But, to be honest i have read it at the most perfect time in my life. In the age we live in, with "celebrities" bed hopping, drug taking and sex tape making, a woman like Misty who has a genuine and brilliant talent is a dying breed. Her demeanour should be celebrated. This is the type of female our young girls should aspire to, she is respectable, sophisticated and exudes class. Her book tells all about her childhood, the poverty she lived through and her neglectful mother who had 6 children with many toxic men and how Misty and her siblings fled with her mother from these men, in midnight flits, from man to man, house to motel, because she had failed at another attempt of a "relationship". The serendipitous tale of how she discovered ballet and the lady who encouraged her talent is endearing, and the stuff of Hollywood movies, she was born to shine and be discovered! There's lots of adversity in this book, which is to be expected, but, Misty has triumphed over all of them. She has become the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre's 75 year history. What an accomplishment! Reading this book has left me motivated in all many aspects of my life, i went to the gym for the first time today in 7 months because of Misty and i hope to get my health and fitness back on track after a back injury. Thank you Misty for writing such a wonderful and inspiring book. You have a new fan please don't ever change. I will be watching out for you and i hope some day i will get to watch you dance. I also can't wait to watch your documentary this year, if i knew you were crowdfunding for it i would have donated just so i could see my name on the credits and be a part of your memorable story. Unfortunately i missed my chance. Good luck Misty xxx

My ten year old was going through a bit of a dry spell after finishing the Harry Potter series. No book kept her interest. Until this one. She found the story engaging and inspiring, says she learnt new words and sentence constructions. She's been motivated to practice ballet even more than usual. An all round success really. Only trouble is that she couldn't put it down and finished it in a few days.

An honest telling of a life dedicated to a calling. Misty is first a ballerina, second an advocate of her art and underlining it all is her passion for making her culture embrace her calling. A perfect read.

Misty Copeland story is all about never giving up. Everything is possible if you keep working towards your goals and dream. Always be grateful and humble. Even if you are différent, not really what society is expecting you to .be...you can do it! This book is gathering all the lessons to live your life the fullest

Interesting and inspiring read, but I feel it was written too soon as my edition finishes before she was made a principal of ABT. The photo selection needed to include more pictures of Misty in her ballet roles.