1241 quotes by dancers for you to enjoy

A young girl reached out to me to be her mentor one day, which I didn't really know anything about. What I did remember was what it was to be alone as an African-American dancer in the ballet world and wanting to connect with someone who looks like me. Misty Copeland

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Every time I dance, I'm trying to prove myself to myself. Misty Copeland

Time Myself Dance Every Every Time Prove Trying

Ballet found me, I guess you could say. 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. I would love to choreograph and dance around. Misty Copeland

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

You Think Everyone Empathetic Powerful Powerful Thing Around Hold Thing

What you put into your body is just as important as how hard you dance. I believe with the right training and an understanding of how to take care of your body, you can mold it to be whatever you want it to be. Misty Copeland

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

Class Old Girl First Club Took Mine Take Most California Court Boy Ballet Years San Basketball Basketball Court

That something that I fought so hard for throughout the beginning of my career is I didn't want to pancake my skin a lighter color to fit into the... ballet. I wanted to be myself. I didn't want to have to wear makeup that made my nose look thinner. Misty Copeland

Whenever there was chaos in my house, whether it was arguing, being in a cramped space with all of us kids and screaming, I found an empty space where I could just put music on and move. Misty Copeland

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I've gotten nothing but warmth from the Black community and positive feedback. Misty Copeland

Positive Feedback Black Nothing Community Positive Feedback Black Community Gotten Warmth

I didn't want to be the best at anything; I just wanted to blend in. And that was kind of my existence throughout my family experiences at home of just kind of blending in in the background through my other siblings, which was easy to do. Misty Copeland

Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance is incredible. It takes a lot to make it through and keep the same energy throughout the entire performance. Misty Copeland

Character You Perseverance Become Energy Changing Incredible Once Entire Through Throughout Lead Takes Performance Like Make Ballet Lot Get Same Lake Swan Professional Keep Acts Four

'The Firebird' just symbolizes a lot for me and my career. It was one of the first really big principal roles that I was ever given an opportunity to dance with American Ballet Theatre, and it was a huge step for the African-American community, I think, within the classical ballet world. Misty Copeland

Me Theatre World Opportunity Dance First Big Community Think Classical Given Step Principal Within Ballet Lot Huge Roles American Just African-American African-American Community Really Ever Career

Barack Obama being President of the United States doesn't mean racism has disappeared. It's all a process, and we have to be aware that the work never ends. Misty Copeland

Work Racism President States Obama Never Disappeared Being Ends Process Barack Barack Obama Mean United Aware United States

My family didn't have very much money, so ballet wasn't even on my radar; I just found it randomly when I was 13 at a Boys & Girls Club. We were practicing in a basketball court in gym clothes with some old socks on. Even though it terrified me at first, I found that I really liked it. Misty Copeland

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If the rhythm or beat of the music changes with a live orchestra, you have to think on your feet. If you feel like you are not on your leg, you have to make a decision to make it look as though nothing is going wrong. Misty Copeland

Being one of the few African American women to make it to this level in a classical ballet company, the level of American Ballet Theatre, takes a lot of perseverance. Misty Copeland

Perseverance Women Theatre Few Classical Takes Make Ballet Lot American African Being African-American American Women Company Level

It's going to take a while before we see a real shift in the students and the dancers that are going into professional companies because it takes so many years of training, but I do think that there's a new crop of dancers, of minority dancers that are entering into the ballet world. Misty Copeland

Training World Minority Before Think Dancers Entering See Crop Take Students Takes New Because Real Ballet Shift Years Going So Many Years While Companies Many Professional

I was seventeen when I moved to New York. I was nineteen when I joined the main company. I was going through a lot. Just becoming an adult and just wanting to fit in, be accepted, and be in common with the other dancers. Misty Copeland

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

People World Classical About Small Exclusive Know Ballet Lot

Quotes by Dancers