My body is very different from most of the dancers I dance with. My hair is different than most I dance with. But I didn't let that stop me. Black girls rock and can be ballerinas.

I never experienced getting nervous on stage. I think I was most comfortable there.

I absolutely love what I do, and I want to dance for as long as I can and feel good about what I am putting out there on the stage.

In a ballet company, you're trying to create unison and uniform when you're in a cour de ballet.

Without my mentors there is no Misty.

Some people even think that I'm still just not right for it [ballet]. And I think it's shocking because they hear those words from critics saying I'm too bulky, I'm too busty. And then they meet me in person and they're like, you look like a ballerina. And I think it's just something maybe that I will never escape from, those people who are narrow-minded. But my mission, my voice, my story, my message, is not for them. And I think it's more important to think of the people that I am influencing and helping to see a broader picture of what beauty is.

I will never be the best dancer or artist. I will be growing until the day I retire.