Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina

Content Warning: This section discusses racism and physical and emotional abuse of children.

As ballet gives Misty’s life structure, her family life grows more chaotic. Life with Robert becomes fraught as his strictness with all the children becomes abusive. Misty later realizes that Robert may have liked her best because her coloring and features were more ambiguous and could be mistaken for being Polynesian or Asian, whereas her siblings were more visibly African American. Lindsey, Sylvia’s daughter with Harold, has darker skin and receives the brunt of Robert’s ire, including his use of racial slurs.

Robert’s verbal abuse becomes physical. He hits Misty’s brothers and routinely forces the two boys to fight in the yard when they get into arguments. Sylvia remains silent about his treatment, possibly because she now has a sixth child with Robert, a boy named Cameron. Eventually, however, Sylvia decides to leave, moving the family to live with friends in Los Angeles. From there, they move in with Sylvia’s newest boyfriend, a white man named Ray.

Misty reflects on her mother’s history with men. Sylvia was beautiful and popular as a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader. She married her first husband, Mike, not long after high school. However, while traveling in Oakland, California, Mike was shot and killed.