An Interview with Misty Copeland - an African American ballerina

I LOVE ballet and I think in another life I would have loved to have been a ballerina. In this life, I don't have the body nor the stamina. But there's an African American ballerina who has both. Her name is Misty Copeland.

Misty was born in Kansas City, MO and raised in the San Pedro, CA . She is of African, German and Italian descent. Copeland is the youngest of Sylvia DelaCerna's four children from her first marriage.

She is considered to be a prodigy who rose to stardom despite not starting ballet until the old age of 13. By age 15, her mother and ballet teachers, who were serving as her custodial guardians, fought a custody battle over her. 

Meanwhile, Misty, who was already an award-winning dancer, was fielding professional offers. The 1998 legal proceedings involved filings for emancipation by Misty and restraining orders by her mother. Both sides dropped legal proceedings, and Misty moved home to begin studying under a new teacher who was a former ABT member.