Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina

Sylvia, referred to only as “Mommy” in Life in Motion, is Misty’s mother. She is the daughter of an Italian American mother and an African American father who put her up for adoption due to the dangers of being a mixed-race couple. She was adopted by an older African American couple who died when she was young, leaving her to be passed between various relatives.

As a young woman, Sylvia was a cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs. She married her first husband, Mike, shortly after high school. After Mike was shot and killed when they traveled to Oakland, California, she married Mike’s best friend, Doug Copeland, the father of her four oldest children. When Misty was two years old, Sylvia left Doug and took the family to California, where she married her third husband, Harold. She had her fifth child with Harold. Five years later, she left Harold, who had alcohol use disorder, and married Robert, a man of Asian heritage with whom she had her sixth and last child. Robert proved to be racist and abusive, and she eventually left him as well, at which point she and her children moved through a series of rundown apartments and motels with various boyfriends.

The relationship between Misty and Sylvia grew most tense when Misty lived with her ballet teacher, Cindy, for two years. Sylvia eventually took Cindy to court over control of Misty, and Misty returned to living with her mother and siblings. Despite these issues, Sylvia is supportive of Misty’s dance career.

Misty is the fourth of six children she calls the “Copeland tribe.” The first four children—Erica; Doug, Jr.; Chris; and Misty—are the children of Sylvia and Doug Copeland. Misty’s younger sister Lindsey is the daughter of Harold, and the baby of the family, Cameron, is Sylvia’s son with Robert.

Erica, the oldest, often functioned as a surrogate mother when they were growing up. She has stayed with the same man for over 20 years, ever since high school, and has a daughter. Doug, Jr., is the “spitting image” of their father and is invested in his Black identity and heritage. He eventually found and developed a relationship with their estranged father. He married his high school sweetheart and has a son. Chris is argumentative and opinionated and eventually became an attorney, recently passing the New York Bar. Lindsey received a track scholarship to Chico State University and possesses the same sense of humor as her father, Harold. Cameron, the youngest, is artistic and plays the piano, sings, acts, and writes music. Despite some tension in their teen years, they are a unified group that supports and takes care of each other.

Elizabeth was Misty’s drill team coach in middle school. She was trained in classical ballet and recognized Misty’s potential, suggesting that Misty speak with her friend/colleague Cindy about ballet lessons at the local Boys and Girls Club. When Misty began ballet classes with Cindy, Elizabeth helped pay for her attire and other supplies, which was particularly generous and helpful since pointe shoes are expensive and dancers go through dozens of pairs in a year. During the legal battle between Sylvia and Cindy, Elizabeth helped find Misty a new ballet school to attend. She remained a mentor and supporting figure throughout Misty’s adult life.

Cindy was a trained ballet dancer who performed with several companies until injury forced her into early retirement. She briefly started a punk band before eventually settling in Los Angeles and opening a dance school, the San Pedro Dance Center. Her husband, Patrick, is one of her former students and teaches some classes at her school. She also teaches basic lessons at the local Boys and Girls Club, where she met Misty when she was 13 years old. She saw Misty’s potential and talent, taking her on as a star pupil.

Misty describes Cindy as colorful and flamboyant, a “free spirit” with red hair and a penchant for nice clothing. She “straddled the lines between elegance and eccentricity, self-absorption and altruism” (36). When Sylvia wanted to pull Misty from her ballet lessons, Cindy offered to take Misty into her home so that she could continue training in comfort. Cindy, Patrick, and their son, Wolf, welcomed Misty into their family as if she always belonged there, giving her a stable environment and encouragement, as well as teaching her how to voice her opinions. However, legal battles between Sylvia and Cindy, in which Sylvia accused the Bradleys of manipulating Misty, ended both their professional and personal relationships. Misty did not see Cindy or Patrick again for over 10 years.