First published 2021
Misty Copeland celebrates the dancers of color who blazed trails in American ballet. The American Ballet Theatre principal dancer draws from her own experience growing up in a motel with her mother and five siblings, where she had no exposure to ballet. At sixteen, she saw her first Black ballerina on a magazine cover. That moment showed her she wasn't alone and her dreams were possible. Now Copeland tells the stories of the women who made her success possible. These dancers fought racism and exclusion through their talent and determination. Copeland traces their impact from the early 20th century to today, showing how they changed ballet forever. She writes for a new generation of readers, giving these trailblazers the recognition they deserve. The book includes Copeland's introduction about how these women influenced both dance and her own career.
Genres: biography, history, african-american, 21st-century, art-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: inspirational, overcoming-adversity
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
62 pages · Kindle Edition · Aladdin