Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so humble and grounded. Being in ballet class, I feel, is like this meditation for me every morning.
Misty CopelandRead
I never thought of myself as special or particularly good at anything. But once I started ballet, suddenly I had a new identity: prodigy.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the transformative power of finding oneβs passion and identity through art.
Misty Copelandβs quote illustrates how engaging in an art form, like ballet, can fundamentally change one's self-perception. Despite initially feeling ordinary, she discovered a sense of uniqueness and excellence in herself through her dedication to ballet, highlighting how passion can redefine identity and promote self-worth.
In practice
In a motivational speech about finding one's passion.
Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so humble and grounded. Being in ballet class, I feel, is like this meditation for me every morning.
Perseverance has always just been something that was in me. And it was a tool that came in very handy as a ballerina.
It's all so surreal, and I'm living my dream. And you know, principal or not, I'm getting to dance all the roles that I've dreamed of doing.
Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.
I say over and over again that I am just standing on the shoulders of so many who have set this path for me, and they may not be seen or recognized or have been given an opportunity to have a voice, but I'm here representing all of those dancers. Dance Theatre of Harlem Virginia Johnson, Tai Jimenez, Lauren Anderson.
It's hard to be the one that stands out when, you know, in a ballet company, you're trying to create unison and uniform when you're in a corps de ballet.
I am inspired beyond my ability to articulate... and now I know what and who I want to be... a soldier for peace.
It's not my victory, it's yours and yours and yours. If a gay can win, it means there is hope that the system can work for all minorities if we fight. We've given them hope.
As a kid I didn't see black cowboys on the screen. What that said to me was that there were things I couldn't do or be because of my color. What we see others like us do gives us permission to expand our own horizons.
And I couldn't make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too. And Indian boys weren't supposed to dream like that. And white girls from small towns weren't supposed to dream big, either. We were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way Penelope and I were going to sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly.
Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
People overcoming the odds is actually a really important part of humanity, and I don't think we kind of get to celebrate that as much as we should.
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