Misty has been a friend of mine for over 11 years now. We met when I was 13 years old and we were both in our pre-professional training. Even though we did not train in the same studio we are both originally from Southern California and our families still reside near each other.

We both had to sacrifice a lot to move from So. California to NY to pursue our love of dance. Since we have so much in common outside of dance, I love to still get together with Misty and reminisce on old times. It always seems like it was just yesterday when we were auditioning for summer camps and taking master classes in our former Southern Ca. Studios.

I recently met up with Misty to ask her these questions so I hope you enjoy our interview.

Trust and believe in yourself,
Barette Vance

What were you like as a young girl? I was a very shy girl who found my voice through dance.

What was your home life like? Any brothers or sisters and do any of them dance? I come from a large family. 2 sisters and 3 brothers. None dance.

What was school like for you? School was okay. I was very involved before I started dancing. I was treasurer and the captain of the drill team.

Were there any books, or teachers, that influenced you, or that were memorable for you? I owe everything to my drill team teacher. She introduced me to ballet and was the reason I started dancing.

What was your favorite subject in class? My favorite subject in school was English.

What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time I enjoy cooking.

If you were on a deserted island and you could only take 5 things with you, what 5 things would those be? Sunflower seeds, my iPod, computer, tweezers, and my boyfriend.

What's the silliest thing you've done? The silliest thing would have to be walking the streets of Soho in NY in a tutu for a photo shoot.

Do you collect anything special? I collect recipes. Family recipes as well as those I find on my own.

What made you decide to start taking dance classes? I started dancing because a teacher of mine in school told me I had the physique of a ballerina.

Have you always wanted to be a dancer? I didn't decide I wanted to be a dancer until the age of 13.

What is a typical day like for you? A typical day would be class at 10:15am then rehearsal from 12pm to 7pm.

On any given day what can we typically find in your dance bag? On any given day you could find jet glue, several pairs of pointe shoes, sewing kit, warm ups and my cell phone in my dance bag.

What do you like most about dancing? I love performing more than anything.

What do you think is unique about you and or your dancing? I think I'm unique as a dancer because I'm very versatile. I'm also not built like many ballet dancers.

Throughout your dance career, what has been your favorite dance moment? My favorite dance moments would be being promoted to soloist and dancing my first principal role as Gulnare in Le Corsaire.

What challenges do you face as a dancer? The challenges I face as a dancer is that I'm African American in a predominantly Caucasian field.

What are you most proud of about yourself as a dancer? I'm most proud of myself for pushing the boundaries with the color of my skin, not being afraid to go for what I want and making it happen.

What highlights of your dance life touched you most? Being one of the first African American woman to be a soloist with ABT has definitely touched me the most.

What do you think the most important thing is for you as a professional dancer? The most important thing for me as a dancer is to inspire others and open doors for more African American dancers.

How did you feel about the discipline, about what was required of you in dance classes? I was completely fine with the strict disciplinary teachings of ballet. I think it helped me to develop a very structured life for myself.

Who has most influenced you in your career? Who has had the greatest impact on you? I think Gelsey Kirkland, Julie Kent, Sylvie Guillem have been most influencing in my career.

Who helped you be where you are today? Who would you thank? I would have to thank my mother my Godmother and my sponsor Susan Fails-Hills. I have gotten endless support, advice and encouragement from all three women.

If you could choose one dancer to perform with, who would it be, and what production would it be? I would love to dance with Desmond Richardson and I would like to have a contemporary ballet choreographed on us.