51 pages • 1 hour read
Misty CopelandLife in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Power of Mentorship
Life in Motion portrays the power of mentorship as crucial not only in Misty’s career but also for any young person trying to succeed. In her memoir, Misty often downplays her innate talent to focus instead on the impact and value of mentorship in her life. Misty articulates her reliance on the power of mentorship throughout the memoir. In Chapter 13, for instance, as she describes stepping onto the stage to perform as the Firebird for the first time, she thinks about the “people who had nurtured [her], supported [her]” and reflects that their support is “com[ing] together for this climactic moment” (247). Similarly, she states in Chapter 11 that alongside the mentorship of ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie, she received “guidance and support” from many other artists, such as Isabel Brown and the Black ballet dancer Raven Wilkinson. Misty never fails to give these many supporters the credit they are due.
This is especially true with Cindy, Misty’s first ballet teacher and probably her most influential mentor. Early chapters detail the many ways Cindy supports Misty professionally, financially, and emotionally. She is the first person to make Misty feel like “the most beautiful and loved little ballerina in the world” and is immediately convinced that Misty will have a ballet career that few can dream of (36). Misty also credits Cindy with protecting her from the more racist elements of the ballet world early on, which is vital to her confidence and later success. At every possible point, the narrative highlights Cindy’s mentorship in fostering the well-rounded dancer and person that Misty becomes. Misty would likely never have become a ballet dancer at all if not for Cindy’s insistent and unwavering support.
As an adult, Misty benefits from the mentorship of two directors of ballet companies that help her gain the confidence to rise to principal dancer. One is Arthur Mitchell, a Black ballet dancer and co-founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Through Arthur’s support and encouragement, Misty learns to integrate her identities as a Black woman and a ballet dancer rather than splitting them. The other major supporter she discusses at length is Kevin McKenzie, the artistic director of ABT. As the artistic director, Kevin has a direct impact on Misty’s career, and the examples Misty provides indicate that he takes the role seriously. From the moment she enters her first ABT summer intensive program, Kevin takes an interest in her talent, skill, and well-being, and he provides her with many opportunities to succeed in the company and the ballet world at large. Though Misty initially views him as an authority figure, rather than an ally, he sees himself as more than just her “boss,” but rather as a facilitator for her talent. It is crucial, however, not only that he provides support but also that she also recognizes it as such and accepts the opportunities that he offers. Misty’s boyfriend, Olu, helps remind her of this, and once she does so, she makes enormous advances in her career.
The most important lesson that Misty learns from these experiences is the influence that she can have on other peoples’ lives by becoming a mentor and advocate herself. She has been given so many opportunities to grow, thanks to those who have supported and advocated for her, and now realizes that she has the obligation and the privilege to advocate for those who come after her. This feeling is embodied in a phrase she repeats throughout the book: “[T]his is for the little brown girls” (2, 248, and elsewhere). She summarizes this belief in Chapter 14 and again in the Afterword, explaining that she hopes to show young dancers of color and the world that there is a space for everyone no matter “their size, shape, or skin color” (267). While this goal stems largely from Misty’s experiences of racism in the ballet world, her ability to enact it comes from the mentorship and advocacy in her life.
Intersections of Race, Identity, and Art
Misty’s experiences with racism in the predominantly white world of ballet are one of the driving forces behind her desire to become a mentor like Cindy, Arthur, Kevin, and others have been for her, leading to the second major theme. Misty understands as few do the intersections of race, identity, and art that impact her career as well as many other kinds of artistic endeavors. She argues that while many people, both other dancers as well as patrons and audiences, believe that racism no longer exists in the ballet world, nothing could be farther from the truth. Rather, proclamations from fellow dancers that they do not “see” her race merely prove that the prejudices Black dancers face are invisible to white dancers who do not have to confront them.
Misty explains that the image of the “fragile-limbed pixie, with flaxen hair and ivory skin, spinning in pale pink tulle” is so deeply embedded in the collective imagination of the ballet world that those who fit that image are blind to its restrictiveness (162). People of color like Misty do not fit this outdated image and are judged by their skin color rather than their talent or experience, so much so that Misty becomes painfully aware that “there [a]re some who believe[] there [i]s no place in ballet for a brown swan” (173), no matter how talented a dancer she is. Antiblackness is so deeply embedded in the art form of ballet that dancers like Misty are forced to “whiten” their skin with makeup for performances. The imperative that all ballet dancers look identical forces dancers of color to literally efface their race. Though Misty’s mentors protect her from the racist voices within ballet as a student, she soon learns that her “blackness [is] a problem” for some in the professional dance world (174). Yet her attempts to address this problem with her white colleagues are dismissed and even ridiculed because they have not experienced the same problems.
However, just as some traditionalists view whiteness as intrinsically linked to the identity of ballet, Misty argues that her identities as a Black woman and a ballet dancer are also inextricably connected. She states unequivocally, “It’s the African American culture that has raised me, that has shaped my body and my worldview” (236), and this shaping is a crucial element of what makes her a talented and powerful ballet dancer. They are parts of a whole that cannot and should not be separated. Her identity as a Black woman is part of what gives her the resilience and voice to advocate for herself and others, and her identity as a dancer is likewise a vital part of her self-expression. Her artistic expression, racial identity, and personhood are all pieces of the same whole.
Dedication and Discipline
A third major theme of Life in Motion is the dedication and discipline required to succeed at any artistic endeavor, especially one as physically demanding as ballet. Just as Misty downplays her prodigious talent as a teenager in favor of the mentorship she receives throughout her career, she also argues that her hard work and dedication are likewise more important than innate talent. Understandably, the early chapters of the memoir focus on Misty’s talent, crucial as it is to her initial success and the attention she receives from Cindy and others. If Misty did not find that she could easily hold any position Cindy moved her into, or learn new steps rapidly, she would likely not have moved far enough quickly enough to gain the attention of so many professionals and advocates like Kevin. However, she is also quick to emphasize that even being a child prodigy can only get one so far before dedication and discipline are required to go further.
Misty first learns this lesson during her summer intensive with the San Francisco Ballet. She explains that she quickly discovers that “there [a]re many terms, steps, and even productions [she] ha[s] never heard of” (104). Innate talent cannot fill the place of specialized knowledge, experience, and practice. Rather than allowing this to discourage her, however, Misty accepts the challenge. She must work harder than others to accumulate the knowledge and physical abilities that less talented dancers have been acquiring since they were young children. Additionally, she argues that the “dancer’s body is the instrument with which she makes music” (161), but to do so, dancers push their bodies much farther than they would go naturally, placing enormous strain on them. To survive this, dancers must demonstrate equally enormous discipline in their work, including training and diet, to craft the instrument of their body into its peak form.
The physical demands ballet puts on the body can lead to serious injuries, and Misty is no exception. Misty overcomes injuries that have the potential to be career ruining not with innate talent but with grueling physical and emotional discipline. She works through severe pain and exhaustion and withstands emotional trauma, including the custody battle between Sylvia and Cindy, racism and discrimination, and the sudden shock of her own changing body when she goes through puberty at age 19. Her deep love and dedication to ballet are the powerful motivators in her life that fuel this discipline and resilience.
Misty’s love for her art is, in fact, the most crucial element of all. Several times in the memoir, Misty expresses her singular love for ballet. In Chapter 2, she says that ballet is all she wants and needs to do. In Chapter 14, in answer to those who criticize her “passion to bring ballet to the masses” (259), as if this somehow dirties or lessens the art, she argues that it is precisely her love for ballet that drives her to do so. She participates in multiple dance companies and performance opportunities outside of her job with ABT because of her love of dance, and she is able to maintain the demands on her time and body thanks to her dedication and discipline. Though Misty gives most of the credit for her success to her mentors and “a lot of luck” (228), the memoir as a whole showcases the necessity of hard work. No amount of talent, mentorship, or luck is enough without immense discipline. Yet this discipline only comes when one is fueled by deep dedication. Love what you do, Life in Motion suggests, and the rest will come.
