“I had a breakthrough with accepting my body,” confessed Copeland. “I surrounded myself with other women who looked like me and who were successful – other successful black women. Even though they weren’t in my field, having that motivation helped me to come to terms and accept myself.”
In a recent interview with the LA Times, Misty described how she stayed focused no matter what the distraction is:
“Just the way ballet is so beautifully structured it ingrains this commitment into you. There’s so much happening and so much you’re trying to understand, and something that’s so beautiful about a dance class is that you don’t feel like you’re just doing repetitive movements, but you’re enjoying it and you’re listening to music and it doesn’t seem like work. When you’re really dancing or exercising, the way you feel, your body starts to crave it. The more consistent I am about going, the easier it becomes to go because I need that feeling again.”
“I mentor a lot of young dancers, and something I’ve learned from being a mentor and being mentored is that it’s so powerful and important to surround yourself with people who act as your support system. So many of us think, “I can do this on my own. I’m strong. I’ll be fine.” But we’re human beings, and we have those moments of being fearful and having doubts, and that’s the time you need to be surrounded by people who are going to reassure you that you have a purpose and a mission.”
For more on Misty Copeland, visit her website here.
Misty Copeland: Breaking Barriers, One Move At A Time was originally published on blackdoctor.org
