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Ballet Quotes by Misty Copeland

61 Ballet quotes by Misty Copeland

All Ballet quotes Misty Copeland’s page

Copeland recalls her first ballet class on a basketball court, wearing gym clothes and socks. She stresses that women are central to ballet, often more vital than men. She also talks about the relentless perseverance needed to lead a full‑length work like Swan Lake.

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Finding ballet was like finding this missing piece of myself.

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Don't hold on to the barre like, 'I might die.' It's just ballet.

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I want to share the ballet world with everyone.

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Ballet.something pure in this crazy world

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Ballet was so structured. I'd been craving something that could guide me.

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I think that I'm so fortunate to have found classical ballet. It completely changed my life and it shaped the person that…

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You can do anything you want, even if you are being told negative things.stay strong and find motivation

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I learned how to communicate and articulate myself from ballet. It's just insane to me, when they don't think of that as…

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Hopefully, I'll be a part of ABT, in some way, forever. I think I'll always be a part of ballet and try…

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My first ballet class was on a basketball court. I'm in my gym clothes and my socks trying to do this thing…

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The ballet world I don't think is an art form that is quick to change or to adjust or evolve.

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I want to bring awareness to the lack of diversity in ballet, and feel like that's a large part of my purpose.

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I'm a classical ballet dancer, and at the end of the day I want to be with American Ballet Theater, performing classical…

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'The Firebird' just symbolizes a lot for me and my career. It was one of the first really big principal roles that…

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Ballet found me. I was discovered by a teacher in middle school. I always danced, my whole life. I never had any…

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My career came together very quickly. I only trained for four years before I became a professional, so I didn't have a…

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There are no taking days off. There are no distractions. If I had that, I physically wouldn't be capable of going onstage…

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In the ballet studio, it was such an organized and disciplined environment, like I'd never had in my life. Seeing myself in…

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Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so…

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Ballet became this escape for me. I feel like I was on my own a lot. I was searching for stability, so…

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Being one of the few African American women to make it to this level in a classical ballet company, the level of…

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Just as a child, before I ever knew what ballet was, there was something in me where I was always searching for…

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Some people even think that I'm still just not right for it [ballet]. And I think it's shocking because they hear those…

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To have a platform like So You Think You Can Dance, where you're reaching this audience that's been created over the 10…

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It takes a lot of money to be a part of the ballet world. Both the training and the supplies are expensive,…

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Ballet was this thing that just felt so innate in me, like I was meant to be doing this.

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I believe that I definitely developed into a refined and graceful woman due to ballet. It has shaped me in every way.

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

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I think that having a platform and having a voice to be seen by people beyond the classical ballet world has really…

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The classical ballet world is so exclusive and small, and a lot of people don't know about it.

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Physical fears change and shift depending on the role and depending on the mindset I'm in.

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I know that I'm talented, and I know that I'm not in American Ballet Theater because I'm black - I'm here because…

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Ballet is number one, everything else is scheduled in the small windows when I'm not in the studio taking class, rehearsing, on…

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I ended up training only for four years before I was accepted into American Ballet Theater in New York City.

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At least in my performances, the audience has become so diverse in a way that I don't think ballet has ever experienced.

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My first ballet class was on a basketball court. I'm in my gym clothes and my socks trying to do this thing…

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I know that I'll forever be involved in ballet. This is where my life was meant to be, and I don't see…

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I didn't care how much work it would take, and I didn't see the time invested as a waste or like I…

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I never thought of myself as special or particularly good at anything. But once I started ballet, suddenly I had a new…

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It's weird for minorities even just to buy tickets to the ballet. We feel like it's not a part of our lives…

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More by Misty Copeland

I traced the marley floor with my pointe shoes, and imagine myself on the stage, not as a member of the corps, but as…

When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…

To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold.

My first ballet class was on a basketball court. I'm in my gym clothes and my socks trying to do this thing called ballet.

There are muscles that we have in our feet that most human beings don't even know that we have. The strength that we have…

Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.

The woman represents ballet. She is most important, powerful and vital to it. Therefore, she is not "less than" a man. If anything she…

If I'm put in a situation where I am not really sure what's going to happen, it can be overwhelming. I get a bit…

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

The word "prodigy" was thrown around a lot, but I didn't understand what that meant, or the weight of it. It didn't really mean…

I think that the ideal physique and look of a ballerina is always changing with different eras. And it's continuing to change.

Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance…

Perseverance has always just been something that was in me. And it was a tool that came in very handy as a ballerina.

I was 17 when I moved to NYC . I'm now 32. But I do know I can't see myself living anywhere else. I…

I grew up poor in San Pedro, California, sleeping on the floor of shady motels with my five siblings and not always sure when…