Misty didn't always feel so confident in herself. The challenges she has 1over almost 20 years of dancing have made her strong
At the young age, Misty was a shy child and 2 the spotlight (聚光灯) But she loved 3 and movement. When she was 13. her coach 4 she attended a free ballet class at the Boys & Girls Club. At first, Misty was 5 to join in it and felt out of place in the class. 6, she discovered that her body- especially her long legs and flexible 7 was just right for ballet, which 8her up. However, at the age of 19, she suddenly gained 9.
My body changed 10 over the course of several months," she says. Misty had always been long and 11_, which was considered "perfect" for a ballet dancer's body. But now, she says, "I was being told that my proportions(比例) just weren't right anymore. " 12 ， Misty was the 13 African American in a company of 80 dancers. So she sometimes felt as if she didn't fit in.
Misty says this time was "one of the 14 moments of my life." Even though Misty felt discouraged, she didn't break 15. She talked with others who had struggled with similar problems. With the support of these friends, things slowly 16Today, Misty says, "I've learned to accept my appearance, skin color, and figure." She wants to help other dancers 17 themselves, too. In her own book, Firebird, Misty tells readers to 18 their dreams: "No matter what that dream is," she writes, "you have the 19 to make it come true with hard work and 20."
