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After the traumatic shooting experience Misty and her family once again where packed up and forced to move in with her moms new new boyfriend Ray. The seemingly very ¨teenage¨ relationship between Mistys mom and Ray was what first sparked the thought inside Mistys head that her mom never seemed to be able to take care of her and her siblings and how Ray and all her other boyfriends seemed to always come before her own children.

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Something traumatizing happened to Misty ad her family after they had once again packed up and left Robert. They were staying at their moms friends house which was very nice of them to allow. Unfortunately the neighborhood was home of an infamous gang. The gang did not take a particular liking to Misty and her family, so one day, what they feared the most happened. Someone was shot outside the house they were staying in and Misty was nearly certain that it was meant to hit someone from her family.

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As Misty was developing a love for ballet she still had to deal with her stepfather Robert who was constantly promoting violence between the boys in the household. She grew up learning to avoid Robert at all costs and realized quickly that Robert was the kind of man that no one should be and she definitely did not want her brothers to end up like that.

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en pointe is a goal that many dancers dream of reaching. Dancers can spend years trying to convince their teachers to allow them to go en pointe which refers to a style of shoe that allows the dance to stand on the very tips of her toes. With all her skills Cindy had faith thst Misty was ready for pointe only a month after her first ballet class. So the unforgettable moment occurred when Misty first put on her own pointe shoes and began to right away complete complex steps that would have taken other dancers years to perfect en pointe.

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After convincing Misty to let her talk to her mom. Cindy, the dance teacher,promised a ride everyday to her studio and a full scholarship that would pay for Misty's dance classes as well as the required attire. So just like that Misty began taking classes at Cindyś dance studio, focusing solely on ballet.

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After taking advice from her drill team instructor. Misty later decided to watch one of the Boys and Girls club ballet classes. She watched for weeks before finally deciding that she might as well give it a shot. She took to the center of the gym and placed her hand on the barre for the first time, and later that night, she quit. After bending and stretching and balancing Misty decided it just wasn't for her. Luckily the ballet teacher knew that Misty was extraordinary and would not let her walk away quiting.

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The first time Misty was on a team was when she was the new kid at Dana Middle school. She wanted to audition for their legendary drill team. But even after completely failing at the audition, in her opinion, she made the team and was named Captain which ultimately gained her immediate popularity.

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With a new father in the picture and a new house the large backyard became Mistyś escape. In that backyard she taught herself gymnastic tricks that came easily to her. From back walkovers to cartwheels Misty new should had found something special. But it was always the floor routines that excited her not the tricks and flips. Which inevitably led to her love for dance.

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By Mistyś momś 4th husband the Copeland clan was very tight and relied on each other very much. Once the new husband, Robert gave them chores to do for the first time and they where left mostly on their own to care for themselves and in charge of school on their own the oldest sibling at 12 years old became the strong mother figure in the Copeland clan.

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Misty was 5 years old and thriving when she had her first onstage performance. There is nothing the making it big in her elementary school talent show. Although it was all fun she loved it the most because of how involved he mom was. Making the costumes, Rehearsing . Her mom was a big part of the big performance and she loved that her mom loved watching her perform. It was the first time she had felt really singled out as impressing her mom and bringing out the joy in her mother.

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Facts that could be part of why Misty had to constantly go through these constant changes due to her mother could be seen in her mothers childhood. After being born to a white mother and black father during a time where it was illegal and she was then put up for adoption, Mistyś mother never really got rid of her abandonment issues that Misty later on realized could have contributed to her momś constant need to leave in a hurry.

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Harold never quiet left Mistyś life. So at the middle school age when Misty would hang out with her best friend Jackie he was always there ready to pick her up and take her home when she needed it. But one of Misty scariest experiences with that was he always showed up drunk and unable to drive. So one night when he was driving her home Misty and her step sister Lindsey where in the back of the car fearing for there lives Harold drove drunk, fast, a swerving on the road that was only a couple hundred feet above the water.

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Misty moms third husband was Harold. With his infectious laugh and athletic build he seemed like the perfect caring and protecting father. Misty has many memories with Harold like eating sunflower seeds and how he could never discipline the kids in any way that would hurt them. Although it seemed picture perfect Harold was an alcoholic and Misty and her family soon left him.

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At the age of 2 Misty, her mom, and her brothers and sister got on a Greyhound bus in Kansas City and left her dad. She grew up not knowing him and didn't see him again till the age of 22 when she was dancing at the American Ballet Theater.

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Itś the morning of the big performance where Misty is dancing the principal role. By 8am sheś wide awake a ready to begin her day. After acknowledging how sore her body is she begins her barre routine to prepare her for her big performance. She goes to the Met for a last rehearsal before she takes the stage and dances as the Firebird

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Copeland, Misty. Life in Motion an Unlikely Ballerina. Simon & Schuster.