Misty Danielle Copeland was born on September 10, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri. Even though she was born in Kansas City, she was raised in San Pedro, California. Misty was very late in starting ballet studies, but it didn’t stop her. Usually, ballerinas start studying when they are three or four, but Misty was thirteen when she took her first ballet class. When she unlocked the magical world of ballet, Misty was coping with the fact she was living in a shabby motel room with her five siblings and fighting for a place to sleep on the floor.…
“Training as the medium through which”, chapter 3, written by Melanie Bales is a chapter that is written on the theme of self-discovery and how as dancers we could apply the ideas to ourselves. Melanie Bales is a professor at Ohio State where she graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. Bales also studied at the Joffrey School and was a Harkness Ballet Trainee. Throughout this article, I experienced different things for myself when going through and reading each section. A lot of references that were stated in the book allowed me to see dance through a whole new perspective.…
Throughout Copeland’s younger years, her mom was jumping in and out of relationships with different men meaning they were constantly moving around. While Copeland was in the middle of legal disputes between her mom and a dance teacher she said, “It was important to me that I not miss too many days of dance class. So a couple weeks after going back home to Mommy, I was thrilled to be in a studio again, turning my focus back to ballet” (127). This quote explains to the reader how focused Copeland was on ballet as well as how eager she was to get back to ballet just after two weeks off. Furthermore, Copeland stated “Dance was still the center of my life” (133).…
She has had a profound impact on not only the ballet community, but the world as a whole. Struggling with being an underprivileged, non-white dancer herself, she decided to give back and help those in similar situations. She established ABT’s Project Plié, which works to promote ethnic minorities and give them exposure to ballet (Collins). Similarly to how she was introduced to ballet, the project works in conjunction with the Boy’s and Girl’s Club, as well as ballet companies such as Orlando Ballet, Ballet Austin, and Cincinnati Ballet (Collins).…
Released in 2011, the documentary, First Position, directed by Bess Kargman, exposes the hardships and the competitive reality of ballet. The documentary uses of multiple film techniques to present the reality of the art rather than preppy stereotype that surrounds it. My experience as one who sacrifices much, a perfectionist and a fellow dancer who faces body stereotypes, I accept the audiences positioning. My similar experiences as a fellow dancer, incurs an empathic response to Miko and her preparation to sacrifice any obstacle hindering her pursue of becoming a ballerina. In the orientating scene, an unseen interview used as narration, introduces the concept of aspiring dancers surrendering their childhood to attain excellence.…
The hero’s journey is a formula for the logical path a hero takes to accomplish a specific goal. It includes stages, which mark the hero's progression through what they know and don't know. It is used for all story arcs. The journey is literal or mental, and in the end, the hero changes (Volger). In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes through his own hero’s journey as he faces challenges on his way home.…
“Dancing is my greatest passion and spreading such knowledge among new generations is my happiness“ said Ana. The flamenquita, as everybody calls her, is an example of how enormous goals can become tangible projections. This is my cousin, a woman who graduated with a bachelor degree in fine art in dance and built a small business to show our community the significance of the art as a part of the children’s education. She believes in the magic of dance and the miracles it can do. Therefore, she decided to open a dance studio.…
“When your music begins, you will be in competition mode.” I took a deep breath, it was showtime. I was introduced to the world of competitive dance in August of 2011 and ever since, dance has been the outlet for all of my emotions. I started off as a shy little girl who hid in the corner, barely extending her limbs as I attempted to mock those in front of me. As time elapsed, I persevered through challenging ten hour practices and the taunting of my peers.…
For over ten years my average day consisted of four main activities: school, homework, gymnastics, and sleep. While school breaks or holidays may have upset three of the four, competitive gymnastics was always a constant. Three hours a day five days a week with no off season left no room for apathy. During my years as a gymnast, I learned the lessons I am sure every athlete is taught— dedication, time management, and determination. However, gymnastics taught me two lessons that other athletes fail to learn thoroughly.…
Adorned with a tutu and pink carousel umbrella, I stood in the wings like a statue waiting for my music to play. I was five years old, my tape was lost in the mix, and I was terrified. That day I walked out onto the stage clenching my umbrella for dear life and completed my first ballet performance without a single hiccup. The show went on. And on for fourteen more years until finally abandoning the barre for academics in pursuit of another field highly focused on the body; medicine.…
A heart, like a magnet, with return home, on the opposite sides of the world or not. Sometimes it takes a great journey to appreciate the little things in life. It took a trip away from home for me to realize this. This past summer, I spent 5 weeks of my sunny days in Kansas City, Missouri for a ballet intensive. This trip helped me realize the importance of family and comfort.…
Margaret Wente’s Globe and Mail article on why grit is highly overrated are merely scientific, educational, and political. Wente discusses nature vs. nurture and parenting beliefs. The author in this article tries to convince the audiences that genetic factors are determine once success. The writer used appeal to logic strategy effectively to relate the child’s school achievement to his/her genetic background. However, her argument is severely weakened by her bias and post hoc fallacy The author begins her article by telling a small story about her failure to achieve her goal for being a ballet dancer.…
The unglamorous story behind the curtain reveals the truth about the pain ballerinas suffer through. Eating disorders attack ballet from studio to stage. The pressure to be thin wins the battle among many ballerinas. In spite of this, as years pass, the ballet world has evolved to accept dancers for who they are. Ballet dancers are beginning to to receive the support they deserve from choreographers, however much more support must be given.…
Even though, it could be done with either male or female, I believe that the dance was best with both genders because it gave the audience a way to contrast between the characters’ personalities. It reminded me a lot of how a married couple feels about each other or jealousy took a toll on a relationship by using music that was light-hearted, and upbeat. To compliment the music, many of the movements were angular, abrupt, and uplifting with various levels of high, medium, and low. The male had strong, dominant jumps, and movements toward the audience member and the female dance; yet, he was loving with his movements to show he was just someone who wanted to be loved. Whereas, the female dancer, she was sassy, jealous, and wanted to take away the happiness of the male.…
When first reading the title of the article it gave me the impression that ballet is more beneficial than just your health. It is important that you get work skills experience for jobs and it is amazing that ballet can make you a better leader. After reading this article it is clear that ballet helps you with aspects that can make you a good leader. Also, some of the points were more figurative than literal. For example, they use spotting as a metaphor for keeping your eye the goal.…