![]() ![]() Gritty goals, like becoming the first African American principal ballerina, are typically stretch goals or targets exceeding what is expected. In the case of grit, courage is demonstrated by managing the fear of failure. Parachuting out of an airplane takes courage. The dictionary defines courage as the willingness to confront danger or uncertainty. Using her grit and courage, Misty Copeland dealt with her fear of failure and worked her way to the pinnacle of the ballet world. Finally, she has written three books – Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You, and a children’s book, Firebird. In 2017 she became one of the first non-model, spokespeople for an Estee Lauder fragrance campaign. She is a sponsored athlete for the brand Under Armour. ![]() She was in the Disney movie Nutcracker and the Four Realms and danced in a Diet Dr. She posted the video to her Instagram account and added a comment that “I will forever be a work in progress and will never stop learning.” Focusing on the learning process, like Misty does, is a powerful tool to build your courage.Ĭopeland’s grit has helped her succeed off the stage as well. Rather than deny it, she embraced the failure. As the Swan Queen in the ABT production of Swan Lake, a YouTube video of her went viral when she failed to execute the 32 fouettés properly. She also had to overcome ballet’s bias towards white dancers.Įven as a principal dancer, she used her courage to deal with her fear of failure. To get to this position, Copeland leveraged her perseverance, like when she once said, “I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.” She is known for her many hours spent in the studio, as well as using Pilates, barre-a-terre, and swimming to build her strength and agility. Today, Misty is the most famous ballerina in the United States. Fear of failure shadowed her throughout her odyssey. She had to overcome a vertebrae fracture, a tibia fracture, and over a decade of work until she was selected as a principal dancer. One of six children raised by a single mother, Misty Copeland became the first African American to be named principal ballerina for the American Ballet Theater (ABT), one of the three best classical ballet companies in the United States. I thank Under Armour for recognizing this and having me as an Under Armour athlete to inspire women everywhere!” ![]() It was not only an achievement for me but for the scores of black women who were incredibly talented and deserving but never had the opportunity. “Thinking of my achievements to date gives me courage in all situations – particularly being promoted to principal ballerina of the American Ballet Theatre. ![]()
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