Misty Copeland on vulnerability in new book and her future in dance

Misty Copeland connected instrumentality letters inspiring publication

Ballerina Misty Copeland connected instrumentality letters inspiring caller publication and proposal for dancers 05:34

Ballerina Misty Copeland has been an inspiration connected and disconnected the creation level for many. She made past astir a decennary agone arsenic the archetypal Black pistillate main dancer astatine the American Ballet Theatre. 

Through Copeland's caller book, "Letters to Misty: How to determination done Life with Confidence and Grace," she's continuing to assistance others.

"It feels astonishing to person young radical travel to maine and spot maine with these things that are — tin beryllium precise delicate matters," she said.

In an interrogation with "CBS Mornings," Copeland said the publication is not conscionable for dancers. It offers proposal to young readers connected issues similar assemblage representation and friendship, based connected letters she's received from fans passim her career.

"It's specifically for young radical that, you know, I deliberation are coming of property … dealing with assurance issues oregon conscionable navigating done life, relationships, with their parents, with their friends, figuring retired who it is they privation to be."

Copeland took her archetypal ballet acquisition astatine 13 years aged and ne'er thought she would go idiosyncratic that radical travel to for advice, describing herself arsenic introverted.

"I consciousness similar that's what I deliberation radical are drawn to is that I've ever been idiosyncratic who observes and I perceive and I deliberation that that's conscionable my quality truthful radical consciousness comfy sharing things with me," Copeland said. "It's not conscionable been done letters, it's young radical that conscionable travel up to me. I mean, connected the thoroughfare and they hug maine and they privation to archer maine everything and I'm like, this is astonishing to beryllium successful a presumption — a trusted position."

Copeland said it's been important for her to beryllium susceptible and link to her audiences by sharing her ain beingness experiences.

"I mean, we get truly personal. We're talking astir going done puberty, conscionable what young radical experience, what it is to person a person for a play of clip and past not person them successful your beingness anymore, and marque that determination whether oregon not there's idiosyncratic that's going to bring worth to your life."

For 25 years, she's been a nonrecreational dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. Copeland said she is grateful for creation acquisition and diverseness successful the arts.

"You whitethorn beryllium each doing the aforesaid choreography, choreography from the 1800s, but idiosyncratic who's from Argentina grew up listening to antithetic types of euphony and eating a antithetic benignant of nutrient and this choreography is going to travel retired of them and beryllium wholly antithetic from idiosyncratic who grew up successful Ohio. … That's what's beauteous astir the complexity of diversity."

While she hasn't performed for 5 years — and welcomed her archetypal kid — Copeland revealed she's moving connected a return.

"It's happening. It's happening. I'm backmost successful the studio. I'm getting backmost successful signifier and gearing up for thing to come," she said.

"Letters to Misty" goes connected merchantability connected Tuesday.

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