I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.
Misty CopelandBallet found me. I was discovered by a teacher in middle school. I always danced, my whole life. I never had any training, never was exposed to seeing dance, but I always had something inside of me.
Misty CopelandThere are muscles that we have in our feet that most human beings don't even know that we have. The strength that we have is so detailed.
Misty CopelandSome 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.
Misty Copeland