Misty Copeland became the third African American ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre and the only African American soloist dancing with this group. She has made history because of this fact. She first put her hands on the barre at an after-school community center and the undersized, underprivileged, and anxious thirteen-year-old knew she had found what she loved. A true prodigy, she was attempting in months roles that took most dancers years to master. When she became caught between the control and comfort she found in the world of ballet and the harsh realities of her own life, she chose to embrace both her identity and her dreams and found the courage to be one-of-a kind.
