--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think all dancers are control freaks a…" description: "\"I think all dancers are control freaks a bit. We just want to be in control of ourselves and our bodies. That's just what the ballet structure, I think..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_i-think-all-dancers-are-control-freaks-a_965638.png" --- # I think all dancers are control freaks a bit. We just want… ![“I think all dancers are control freaks a bit. We just want to be in control of ourselves and our bodies. That's just what the ballet structure, I think, kind of puts inside of you.” quote by Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_i-think-all-dancers-are-control-freaks-a_965638.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_i-think-all-dancers-are-control-freaks-a_965638.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_i-think-all-dancers-are-control-freaks-a_965638.png) > “I think all dancers are control freaks a bit. We just want to be in control of ourselves and our bodies. That's just what the ballet structure, I think, kind of puts inside of you.” [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dancers often seek control over themselves and their bodies, a trait shaped by ballet's structure. **In simple terms:** Dancers want to control themselves due to ballet. Key Takeaway Use discipline to master self‑control. Themes dance control body discipline Mood insightful motivational Type artistic psychological When to use this quote - performance training - mind‑body practices - creative choreography - personal development Key Concepts Embodied cognition artistic expression psychology of control Questions to Reflect On - How does control enhance artistic expression? - When might letting go be beneficial? A Different Perspective Excessive control can stifle spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Control freak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-freak/) [Control freaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-freaks/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) ## Related quotes > [I had no idea what I was walking into, and the years and years of hard work it would take. I felt like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-had-no-idea-what-i-was-walking-into-and-the-years-and-years-of-hard/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, like Jack Benny and Steve Martin, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/stand-up-comedy-is-a-very-hard-thing-on-the-spirit-there-are-people/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [All directors are control freaks and very obsessive. I get the feeling that directors as kids, they all have had a childhood with not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/all-directors-are-control-freaks-and-very-obsessive-i-get-the-feeling/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [Guys are control freaks and hate when other people know what's best for them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/guys-are-control-freaks-and-hate-when-other-people-know-what-s-best/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [People say we're control freaks, but control is controlling your destiny without controlling other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daft-punk/people-say-we-re-control-freaks-but-control-is-controlling-your/) [Daft Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daft-punk/) > [Sometimes artists are control freaks and it's certainly important to have a vision, but within that vision you need to allow freedom and personality-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oh-land/sometimes-artists-are-control-freaks-and-it-s-certainly-important-to/) [Oh Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oh-land/) > [“I seem finally to have stopped worrying about Elinor, and age. She seems now to be perfectly normal -- about twenty-five, a witty control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-seem-finally-to-have-stopped-worrying-about-elinor-and-age-she/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [“Stop trying to control the uncontrollable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/stop-trying-to-control-the-uncontrollable/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Compared to bipolar's magic, reality seems a raw deal. It's not just the boredom that makes recovery so difficult, it's the slow dawning pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lovelace/compared-to-bipolar-s-magic-reality-seems-a-raw-deal-it-s-not-just/) [David Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lovelace/) > [“Every once in a while I don't think it's a bad idea for lawyers to remember that what goes on, at least on some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-joseph/every-once-in-a-while-i-don-t-think-it-s-a-bad-idea-for-lawyers-to/) [Lawrence Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-joseph/) > [“That’s why the most stressed-out people are control freaks. They fail at the quest they most pursue. The more they try to control the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/that-s-why-the-most-stressed-out-people-are-control-freaks-they-fail/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [We're all kind of control freaks as athletes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-casey/we-re-all-kind-of-control-freaks-as-athletes/) [Paul Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-casey/) > [“Homeowners' Association: the means whereby people who own homes are able to transfer their rights to the neighborhood control freaks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-brackin/homeowners-association-the-means-whereby-people-who-own-homes-are/) [Ron Brackin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-brackin/) > [There are a lot of similarities between Jonathan Higgins and Juliet Higgins: they're both British, they both come from military backgrounds, and they're both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perdita-weeks/there-are-a-lot-of-similarities-between-jonathan-higgins-and-juliet/) [Perdita Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perdita-weeks/) > [I actually think it's sometimes easier for the control freaks to let loose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-actually-think-it-s-sometimes-easier-for-the-control-freaks-to-let/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) ## 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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-traced-the-marley-floor-with-my-pointe-shoes-and-imagine-myself-on/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/to-be-empathetic-to-everyone-around-you-i-think-is-such-a-powerful/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/my-first-ballet-class-was-on-a-basketball-court-i-m-in-my-gym-clothes/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/there-are-muscles-that-we-have-in-our-feet-that-most-human-beings-don/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/be-strong-be-fearless-be-beautiful-and-believe-that-anything-is/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [The woman represents ballet. She is most important, powerful and vital to it. Therefore, she is not "less than" a man. If anything she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/the-woman-represents-ballet-she-is-most-important-powerful-and-vital/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/if-i-m-put-in-a-situation-where-i-am-not-really-sure-what-s-going-to/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I never experienced getting nervous on stage. I think I was most comfortable there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-never-experienced-getting-nervous-on-stage-i-think-i-was-most/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/the-word-prodigy-was-thrown-around-a-lot-but-i-didn-t-understand-what/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I think that the ideal physique and look of a ballerina is always changing with different eras. And it's continuing to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-think-that-the-ideal-physique-and-look-of-a-ballerina-is-always/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/once-you-become-a-professional-to-get-through-a-ballet-like-swan-lake/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Perseverance has always just been something that was in me. And it was a tool that came in very handy as a ballerina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/perseverance-has-always-just-been-something-that-was-in-me-and-it-was/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-was-17-when-i-moved-to-nyc-i-m-now-32-but-i-do-know-i-can-t-see/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I grew up poor in San Pedro, California, sleeping on the floor of shady motels with my five siblings and not always sure when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-grew-up-poor-in-san-pedro-california-sleeping-on-the-floor-of-shady/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) [Explore all 191 Misty Copeland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) ## More Ballet quotes > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) Peter Martins > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think all dancers are control freaks a bit. We just want to be in control of ourselves and our bodies. 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