A Girl Named Misty

The Making of a Star

Misty was devastated by her mother’s suggestion of quitting ballet. She told Cindy, and Cindy’s asked Misty’s mom if Misty could live with Cindy’s family during the week so Misty could be closer to the studio. Misty would continue to go home each weekend. Misty’s mom agreed.

At Cindy’s studio, Misty continued to improve. She mastered every move and took advanced classes. People called her a prodigy. She watched ballet on TV and carried dance magazines in her backpack. Ballet became her life.

Though she loved ballet, Misty had never actually seen a live performance until Cindy took her to see Don Quixote. At nineteen, the star of the show, Paloma Herrera, had become a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York City. ABT was one of the top ballet companies in the world. Misty watched Paloma and dreamed of becoming an ABT principal dancer, too.

Meanwhile Misty’s mom and siblings continued to cheer as Misty dazzled audiences with her performances like in The Nutcracker and The Chocolate Nutcracker.

Becoming a great ballerina meant working long hours. Some weekends Misty didn’t have time to come home. This upset her mother. She loved watching Misty and wanted her to be happy and keep dancing, but she felt she should be spending more time with her family. Cindy wanted to keep Misty living and training with her. Misty felt torn apart.