Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina (35 page)

And last but not least: O. Our relationship has been more than I could have ever dreamed of it becoming. You have been my biggest fan, my voice of reason, and always good for a debate when that’s needed. Thank you for being here always, and for helping me to believe that brown ballerinas could benefit from seeing and hearing my story and for encouraging me to be a mentor.

© GREGG DELMAN

MISTY COPELAND
is a soloist at American Ballet Theatre. A recipient of the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts and an inductee into the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Fame, she lives in New York City. Visit her online at
MistyCopeland.com
, and follow her on Twitter at
@mistyonpointe
.

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

SimonandSchuster.com

authors.simonandschuster.com/Misty-Copeland

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Index

Acocella, Joan,
249

Adams, Diana,
183

Alex (mother’s friend),
59
–60,
68

Allen, Debbie,
87
–89,
160

Allred, Gloria,
124
–25,
133

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,
90
,
176

American Ballet Theatre (ABT):

as America’s National Company,
98
,
140

and black dancers,
176
,
177
–79,
182
,
185
,
197
,
198
,
210

and body image,
165
–66,
167
,
169
,
172
,
182

corps de ballet,
5
,
154
,
156
,
158
,
164
,
165
,
166
,
176
,
190
,
198

founding of,
73

hierarchy of,
156

and international competitions,
201
,
229

Misty’s apprenticeship with,
150
,
151

Misty’s career with,
1
–2,
5
,
150
,
164
,
187
,
195
–200,
224
,
230
–31

as Misty’s goal,
113
–14,
139
,
145
–46,
166
,
180
,
186
–87,
205

Misty’s introduction to,
72
–73

Misty’s scholarship to,
135
,
136
,
146

Misty’s thoughts of leaving,
182
–83,
185
,
195

principal dancers,
7
,
74
,
139
,
158
,
211
,
251

Project Plié,
260

promotions in,
159

rehearsal spaces,
140
–41

roles assigned in,
158
–59,
172

schedules of,
156
–59

sponsors of,
74

Studio Company,
139
,
145
–47,
150
,
151
,
152
–54,
155
,
156
,
196
,
201
,
211
,
212
,
230

summer programs,
92
,
97
,
104
,
113
,
114
,
135
,
136
,
138
,
140
,
144
–46,
148
,
149
,
152
,
189
,
201

touring,
150
,
157
,
180
,
193
,
199
,
209
,
230
,
237
,
242

Anderson, Lauren,
228

Arpino, Gerald,
94
,
96
–97

Ash, Aesha,
176
,
183
,
228

Àvila, Lola de,
103
,
105
–6,
107
–8,
109
,
112
,
113
,
155
,
247

Badu, Erykah,
217

Balanchine, George,
73

ideal ballerina image of,
44
,
109
,
173
,
182

and New York City Ballet,
98
,
183

Tarantella
,
201
–2

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
,
221

ballerinas:

black,
see
black ballerinas

creating ballets on,
150
,
158

critiques of,
25
,
234
–35,
237
,
258

diverse styles of,
145

en pointe
,
44
,
70
,
105
,
252

ideal form for,
43
,
44
,
98
,
103
,
109
,
162
–67,
171
,
172
,
173
,
182
,
245
,
252

multidimensional art form, of,
170
–71

perfection sought by,
25
,
72
,
95
,
155
,
236
–37,
252
,
256
,
259

in performance,
25
,
95
,
170

pressures on,
93
–94,
124
–25,
143
,
161
,
166
,
167
,
170
–71,
177
,
182
,
221
,
252
,
257