A Girl Named Misty

City of Dreams

In time, Misty decided she would go live with her mom and siblings and go to a different ballet studio close to home. After a while, Misty’s mom got a new job and the family moved from the motel to a nice apartment. Misty worked hard at the new ballet studio and earned an invitation to a summer program at the American Ballet Theatre.

Misty’s dedication and talent wowed the people at ABT. The next year, after Misty graduated from high school, she moved to New York City to become a member of the ABT, the same company that her idol, Paloma Herrera, danced for.

Walking around the busy streets of New York, Misty saw a beautiful mix of people of different races and backgrounds living and working together. But inside ABT, she saw something else. When she was promoted at age nineteen to the corps de ballet, Misty was the only black woman out of dozens of dancers.

Shortly after joining the corps de ballet, Misty felt a terrible pain while dancing. She had injured her back and would need a year to recover. When Misty returned to ABT, she had changed. Her thin body had matured and had more curves, a shape some thought wasn’t right for ballet.

It hurt Misty to know that some people didn’t want women with brown skin and curves to be ballerinas. Over time, other African Americans in ballet would help Misty see she belonged. She was not dancing for herself anymore. She was dancing for every African American ballerina who never got the chance to rise to the top. She continued to dance for kids who would one day follow her example.