Misty Copeland leapt over barriers in the dance world with grace and style from the age of 13 when she discovered ballet through a class at her local Boys and Girls Club. Her talent and potential were quickly apparent, steering her toward a professional dance career on a difficult path strewn with family conflict and struggles for control. As the first African American woman to be named as a soloist for the American Ballet Theater and, later, as the first Black principal dancer at a major international dance company, she has changed the face of ballet and made it possible for others to dare to dream of a life in professional, classical dance. Copeland has since expanded her professional career with modeling, acting, television, product endorsements, and the design of her own active/dancewear line of clothing. She is the author of a memoir Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, along with a children’s picture book, Firebird, and a health and fitness guide, Ballerina Body.