Right to dance. Eventually even suing her mother for emancipation. Being in a Public School and having your story plastered all over the media not just in your city but all over the nation was traumatizing. Not only did she have to challenge erskine color, but her body type, too. Now she wants to waive the way of children of all backgrounds. To push as hard as i can to go as far as i can so theyll have an easier path. I spoke to her about her life story recently in new york. Tell me about the moment that you discovered ballet. Ballet discovered me. It found me. Well dance was always just a part of my natural state as a child. Its something that i justwhenever music was playing i was dancing. It became this escape for me that i dont think i realized it was that for many years. It was a way to escape the chaos of being one of six children and so many different things. And moving a lot. And moving a lot. Just so many things that werent ideal as a child, and movement became that escape for me. When i was 13, i tried out for the dance team at my Public School and was told i should take a ballet class at the boys and girls club, where i was a member. I think it was when i stepped into the ballet studio, the actual studio because my first class was on a basketball court. I dont think i really grasped ballet was, and i was extremely intimidateed by it. It was my step into the ballet studio that i realized that this is beautiful, and this is challenging and this is the extreme beauty escape that ive craved my entire life. The story goes from the moment you started you were basically a prodigy. Its just what you were meant to be doing. Did it feel that way . Not until i became a professional that i would understand the weight of that word and the expectation that would come along with that. Whether youre going to succeed being extremely gifted at a young age. At the time it was fun. I was being pushed and challenged into something that i liked doing. And i looked forward to learning every day and growing. And perfecting this incredible art form that i knew i was never going to perfect, but the challenge of approaching that every day was something that i had never experienced before. You said it was fun, but you wrote in your book i was a nervous child, and coupled with a perpetual quest for perfection made my life much harder than it needed to be. How so . This was definitely before dance that i just never felt a real connection to anything or anyone. I was constantly just trying to fit in. I didnt want to be the best at anything. I just wanted to england in. That was my existence. My family experiences at moment was just blending in in to the background through my other siblings, which was easy to do i just was always so nervous i was going to say the wrong thing or be judged, and i think i got used to kind of hiding what was happening at home that i was embarrassed about, and it just became who i was. Talk more about your home. Ballet is very organized. There are rules. But you wrote in talking about your family. Our family began a pattern that would define my five siblings and my childhood. Packing and leaving and often just barely surviving. You touched on this a little bit, but how did that define who you are now . Um, i think that it has give me more appreciation for the incredible world that im a part of now. It gave me appreciation for how fortunate i am to be on the bath that i am, to have the opportunities that i have. I think its given me a thicker skin, Life Experiences to pull from at a very young age to become an artist on the stage that i think a lot of children who grow up blissfully unaware of things happening that once you get on stage to become a performer, where am i pulling this from to become another person, to become another character . I think having the experiences that i did at home kind of allowed me to dig deeper. So i look at them as tools and something that i tried to turn into something positive. Tell me about your first ballet teach ms. Cynthia bradley bradley. Cindy, um, i think shes the first person who believed that i could do anything. I think my mother definitely thought that, i think she thinks that of all of they are children. But the situation that we grew up in, i dont think it was something that was ever spoken and cindy would say it over and over again out loud. It was the first time that i would develop an identity of my own. I started to feel that im worthy i have a foist. Im good at something. She never made me feel that i was different from anyone because i was africanamerican. Because of my circumstances because i started late. She would just always say you are so extremely special. That, though, led to a very turbulent time for you when you go to live with your teacher and there comes a point when your mother is not okay with that. Can you talk to me about this process that you went through of suing your mother for emancipation. I was 15 years old, and when i say that 15 years old, the maturity mindset of maybe an 11yearold. I was definitely a late bloomer and i really didnt come in to my own until i was in my 20s and i think dancing definitely gave me the opportunity to exfloor and to grow into the person that i dont think i could be without it. I never would have become this person without ballet. But at that time all i wanted to do was dance. I was being told that, well, by my mother firsthand that she wanted me to be home, which made complete sense. Ive given you three years to live with your teacher, get the training you needed, and now you need to be back home. Then i was hearing from my teacher that if you leave now you may not dance again. I dont know if thats the priority within your family situation, your mother is a single parent. You know just trying to survive, keeping kids off the streets, being schooled and fed, and i was being pulled between these two worlds and one that i was becoming accustomed, the ballet world and the thought of that losing that was death. It was the first time that i had an identity, and i felt special and the thought of losing that was terrifying. So to be 15 years old, and to be so private just by nurture by nature, and to have this emancipation. It turned out to be more than i thought it would be. I thought it would allow me the opportunity to be an adult and dance on my own, that i would still be with my teacher, i could still be with my family and everything would be great, but thats not how things worked out. I think that both parties had my best interest at heart, and they were trying to do what they could to do what they thought was best for me. But being in a Public School and having your story plastered all over california but all over the United States was traumatizing. You say that you were trying to understand mommy. Do you understand herbert now that youre an adult . I have more of an understanding and appreciation. Of course i probably will never know until im a parent, but i try every day to understand. Of course. You also said that the battle of my mind and spirit raged on. Was that just you trying to work through the aftermath of everything, was that what that was . Yes, to recover. Emotionally, psychologically and then to be summoned into my first ballet studio. It was intimidating people have these preconceived ideas of who i was because they saw me all over the newspapers, and it was terrifying for me to walk into this school, to be judged, and for people to be looking at me like this is this prodigy, lets see what shes got. It was a lot of pressure. It was a lot to handle after going through what i went through. Youre now one of the worlds most famous ballet dancers. You have commercials, you have two books. There is a reality show, there are so many things that have come after this difficult path. Did you ever envisionand you forgot with prince on stage. I forget that one. Did you ever envision that this is what your life could be . No, no. Its still hard to accept that its a reality. Again, i justim so humbled and grateful for the background that i have in this situation that ive been through. I want to be able to give back to ballet for what it has done for me, and thats this constant battle that i have to improve myself, and getting all the the exposure that ive been getting not as someone who is famous because ive never wanted that but i want the ballet world to be given the respect that it deserves and to be seen by more people, for many to experience the beauty that ive received from the ballet world. And with every opportunity , its still such a shock and overwhelming. I never step outside of myself and think thats me. Its like, thats a proud proud woman. Thats the little girl i mentored. Thats ballet. It makes me so proud to be a part of it. There is a constant refrain for little brown girls that is constant. Its clear that thats what motives you, thats what drives you. Im sure there are little brown girls who meet you who get emotional when they see you. I cant imagine the pressure but i imagine its got to be kind of an honor, too. I dont feel any pressure from that at all. It is the same way i look at how emotional i got to be the first africanamerican to meet the first africanamerican ballet dancer to dance. It keeps me pushing to go as far as i can so others can have an easier path. We talk about race and body image in the world of ballet. Theres a line of police advancing toward the crowd here. Ferguson city under siege. It isnt easy to talk openly on this base. And americas war workers. Its human trafficking. Watch these and other episodes online now at aljazeera. Com faultlines. Im richelle carey. This is talk to al jazeera, and my guest this week ballerina misty copeland. How does it feel when people talk about your body and how do you process that . Um, i dont think i really understand as a young adult when i became a professional between the ages of 17 and up to 25 it was still i wasnt really in an understanding that this is my instrument and people are judging this and the way that i translate things through my body. I understand it now. I work so hard to get it to work the way it does and do the things, and it takes so much training and discipline and sacrifice. It is what it is, its art. People will look at it, judge it, and thats what imi understand thats what im going to get back when i put myself out there on the stage. I feel comfortable with it. I was going to ask were you ever insecure about that . I think everys body is constantly changing, for the most part, no, im comfortable being in this position, and being professional now for 15 years. My body is my instrument. It just occurred to me when you said that, knowing what a role model that you are for young girls, thats a great message that they can get from you about being secure in who they are even when people are being very critical of them. Thats a powerful lesson. Yes, its a lot. I think no one can just convince themselves of this on their own. Every day like, forget the haters and what theyre saying im beautiful. We all have our moments of just like you cant convince yourself of that on your own its important to have support and people who are going to be there when you have those moments when you cant get through. People assume there are a lot of eating disorders in the world of ballet. Can you put that in some perspective . Is that so, or is it over blown . You know we are athletes. We have to take care of our bodies. But we physically have to be Strong Enough to get through eight hour rehearsal days perform and these things. You wouldnt last very long if you were putting your body through that type of malnutrition, and then having to stand on your toes and do this incredibly complicated work. So that hasnt been my experience. Ballet obviously is largely considered a light sport. But there you are. On the stage. There you are really oneofakind for lack of a better term. Have there been moments of racism that youve had to deal with facetoface . Not so much face to face. And im happy that i havent had that intense and dramatic traumatic experience, but i have dealt with it, and its definitely been more secondhand, hearing what people have said about me, and people in high places as well as just reading things. You just cant change everyones opinions. All you can do is be the best that you can be. But for me whats been hard is hearing from the young dancers that i mentored, and knowing that theyve experienced it firsthand and told to their face youre not the right color for ballet. You dont belong. You shouldnt do that. That to me is so awful for me to hear. I feel like its me hearing those words when i hear it from them. And just trying to undo all the damage. And let them know that there is a way to kind of create your own path within the world of ballet. You just have to be really strong. Really strong. Stronger than i think most people realize, incredibly strong. Youre saying this, and im thinking in my head of this dr. Pepper ad. Was it your idea, the concept for it . No, the one of a kind no, yeah, i think thats why they came to me. I fit in to the idea of what the ideal was for that campaign. It was so positive. Thats why i wanted to be a part of it. Its promoting and its okay to be different. Its okay not to follow this direct path that others have been on. And its okay to be oneofakind. Absolutely. Youre the face of under armor. Yes. It blew up on social media. It was huge. It was wonderful. The campaign was i will what i want. And it talks about professional obstacles, reject letters, how do you deal with that . With professional obstacles, with maybe not always achieveing or being earthed what you think you worked for. Thats something that i definitely struggled with my early years as a professional. Not really understanding that its not enough to be talented. Youwe are in patrol of our destiny. Its up to us to be able to understand what we want. To be able to execute what it is that we want, and not to be afraid to tell people what we want. That was the start of me ending up on the path i wanted to be on for my career. It was not just assuming that these people would know what i wanted, but to let them know. I work really hard, and i see myself having more of a future as a classical dancer not just contemporary dance. Thats when i saw a change in my career. The kids that i mentor, just because youre thinking it does not mean that other people hear it. You have to say it. Thats very insightful to tell young people at a very young age to be able to speak up for yourself. Especially with dancers. Its ingrained in us in the format of how classical ballet worked, youre forever a student, which we are. Youre in the classroom. You dont speak. You receive information from the people in the front of room. Youre not asked for your opinion. So you get used to not having a voice, and you can get lost in that. You still take class . Oh, yes, you have to. It never ends. I dont know how to explain it. Its how we warm up every day, and its also how we finetune our instruments. Its the same way with any instrument, i dont know what you call it, when you fine tune it. You keep it in tiptop form and shape. Thats what ballet class does for us. Just because youre pregnant dont mean your lifes ended. Intense pressure. I dont know if this whole dance thing will work out. Tough realities. We call chicago chiraq because we have more killers. Life changing moments. Shut the cam. From oscar winning director alex gibney. A hard hitting look at the real issues facing american teens. The incredible journey continues. On the edge of eighteen. Ill have two or three puffs and ill already have a nicotine buzz. A popular smoking alternative. Youre watching talk to al jazeera. Im richelle carey. Someone who has taken the ballet world by storm misty copeland. One of your personal goals was to be the first black principle dancer at the american ballet theater. Still a goal . I think every dancers goal, we become dancers because we see those roles, and you dream of dancing these iconic roles. So of course that is still my goal. But i dont want it to overshadow what is actually happening because im so happy with where things are, and the roles that im dancing, and every time i get an opportunity to dance them. Its not just a quick fight to get to the position. But its about the journey learning and becoming the artist that im becoming. So if and when that happens ill be completely ready and comfortable to accept that role. I think that youre breaking down stereotypes in ways that i dont think people realize the depth of it. And what youre doing on the stage is chipping away at that every day. I hope so. Thats the incredible thing about this art form is that we have the opportunity to morph into these other characters and show that were so much deeper than the labels, and how people perceive what were capable of and to get the opportunities to prove them wrong. Being a musician, theres no demand. World renowned artist lang lang the moment youre on stage, its timeless american schools falling flat. There are no music class in Public Schools. And his plan to bring music back. Music makes people happier. Every tuesday night. I lived that character. Go one on one with americas movers and shakers. We will be able to see change. Gripping. Inspiring. Entertaining. Talk to al jazeera. Only on al jazeera america. Tonight if you are poor or black, you stand a greater chance of being imprisoned. Does the american criminal Justice System save our the privileged . Critics of president obamas nuclear deal say the u. S. Cant trust iran. In the panel we ask why should iran trust the u. S. Last week it was the confederate flag, now its a Mountain Side memorial, where do we draw the line between removing offensive imagery and wiping the past. Im imran garda, and this is