--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most ballerinas take their first ballet…" description: "\"Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. I was 13 when I took mine on the basketball court of the San Pedro Boys &..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_most-ballerinas-take-their-first-ballet_1295752.png" --- # Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they… ![“Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. I was 13 when I took mine on the basketball court of the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club in California.” quote by Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_most-ballerinas-take-their-first-ballet_1295752.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_most-ballerinas-take-their-first-ballet_1295752.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_most-ballerinas-take-their-first-ballet_1295752.png) > “Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. I was 13 when I took mine on the basketball court of the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club in California.” [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. She began ballet later than typical, using a basketball court as her first training space, showing unconventional paths are possible. **In simple terms:** Started ballet at 13 on a basketball court. Key Takeaway Embrace non‑traditional beginnings. Themes perseverance late start determination sports crossover Mood motivational reflective Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - dance schools - community centers - late‑starter mentorship programs Key Concepts skill transfer resilience Questions to Reflect On - What advantages can a non‑linear journey provide? - How can alternative spaces foster talent? A Different Perspective Late start may face technical gaps compared to peers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-class/) [Basketball court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-court/) [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [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-2/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I don't feel like my life is that of a superstar! Every day I wake up, I take the train, I go to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-don-t-feel-like-my-life-is-that-of-a-superstar-every-day-i-wake-up/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so humble and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/being-in-ballet-class-being-on-the-stage-being-surrounded-by-my-peers/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I think most people think of ballerinas as kind of either as a fairytale, far-away thing that's really not attainable, something they can't grasp,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-think-most-people-think-of-ballerinas-as-kind-of-either-as-a/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I eat a big breakfast and then go off to an hour and a half of strong ballet class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-eat-a-big-breakfast-and-then-go-off-to-an-hour-and-a-half-of-strong/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“It seemed like an ordinary day, but little did I know that this wasn’t going to be a normal ballet class.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-todd-hammer/it-seemed-like-an-ordinary-day-but-little-did-i-know-that-this-wasn-t/) [Sarah Todd Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-todd-hammer/) > [I don't try to dance better than anybody but myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-don-t-try-to-dance-better-than-anybody-but-myself/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [My workout is ballet class and rehearsal - I've never belonged to a gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuan-yuan-tan/my-workout-is-ballet-class-and-rehearsal-i-ve-never-belonged-to-a-gym/) [Yuan Yuan Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuan-yuan-tan/) > [Dance till the stars come down from the rafters Dance, Dance, Dance 'till you drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/dance-till-the-stars-come-down-from-the-rafters-dance-dance-dance/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Each morning I do my ballet class for one hour; after that, it means one hour less to get ready.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/each-morning-i-do-my-ballet-class-for-one-hour-after-that-it-means/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [She drove me to ballet class...and she took me to every audition. She'd be proud of me if I was still sitting in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/she-drove-me-to-ballet-class-and-she-took-me-to-every-audition-she-d/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [My career came together very quickly. I only trained for four years before I became a professional, so I didn't have a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/my-career-came-together-very-quickly-i-only-trained-for-four-years/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I wake up every morning, and I go to ballet class no matter what's going on the night before. That's my priority, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-wake-up-every-morning-and-i-go-to-ballet-class-no-matter-what-s/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [A lot of people in my class were one to two years older than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-booker/a-lot-of-people-in-my-class-were-one-to-two-years-older-than-me/) [Devin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-booker/) ## 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": "Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. 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