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Misty Copeland’s and Tiler Peck’s New Advice Books for the Next Generation

For young dancers, having a mentor can be a lifesaver. But not every student has access to that one dancer at the studio with the perfect advice for every situation—the kind of wisdom that comes from lived experience.

American Ballet Theatre principal Misty Copeland and New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck, having reached great heights in their own dance careers, are helping to fill that gap. Recently, they both wrote books that lend a helping hand to younger dancers—or kids with any interests—by providing tips, how-tos, and anecdotes on navigating young life. Letters to Misty (Simon & Schuster, May 2025) and XO Ballerina Big Sis (Penguin Random House, October 2025) are books that readers can finish in one sitting or reference when they need some pro-dancer wisdom.

Here’s some more info about both of these exciting new books you can add to your fall reading list:

Misty Copeland, Letters to Misty

Cover courtesy of Simon and Schuster.

Copeland has published 10 books for children, young adults, and adults so far. Her latest middle-grade book is Letters to Misty: How to Move Through Life with Confidence and Grace. Co-written with author Nikki Shannon Smith, the book reads like a magazine’s advice column, with Copeland answering questions on topics that can be applied to dance or to life in general. The book is split into five sections, each corresponding to one of the positions of the feet and arms in classical ballet.

Copeland weaves personal anecdotes in with her advice. When answering a question about making friends, she tells the story of how she met Catalina, one of her oldest friends, when she just started training at her first ballet school. She shares how in her friendship with Catalina, she feels safe enough to be herself, and emphasizes that as an important characteristic in any relationship. While Copeland often refers back to her ballet training and career for examples, Letters to Misty focuses on life advice that can be relevant to any young person going through a period of self-discovery and growth.

Tiler Peck, XO Ballerina Big Sis

Cover courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Peck is also no stranger to writing, having published the middle-grade novels Katarina Ballerina (Simon & Schuster, 2020) and Katarina Ballerina & the Victory Dance (2021). Her latest, XO Ballerina Big Sis, is written with co-author Leslie Tonner and is Peck’s first nonfiction work. Dedicated fans might notice that the book, which has a tone as warm and friendly as Peck’s online voice, is based on her social media video series of the same name.

In an interview with Pointe, Peck shared that XO Ballerina Big Sis covers everything she wishes she knew when she was younger: “I didn’t want kids to feel alone if they weren’t raised in a dance family.” The books’ topics range from tying pointe shoe ribbons to handling competition in a healthy way. Peck says that the book, while aimed at performers ages 8 through 12, is dedicated “to every young dancer with big dreams.”

The post Misty Copeland’s and Tiler Peck’s New Advice Books for the Next Generation appeared first on Dance Spirit.

Tapas Das: Tapas Das, a young entrepreneur of our times started TWIST N TURNS in 2005. A person who is kind, generous, creative and down to earth wanted to start his own one of a kind dance academy. According to him, Dance is a language of movements that involves space, time and the human body. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, the cultural hub of India. Being appreciated in the field of dance all his life, he is extremely talented. He has been dancing since the age of four. Once he finished his high school, he learned jazz/modern and contemporary dance. His horizons were broadened even more when he started dancing Bollywood with Beat Busters for 4 years, which then was the most upcoming dance crew in Kolkata. After that exposure, he studied how to be a dance teacher, which later started helping him impart his knowledge about dance. Thus, in 2005, with the help of family and friends, he started TWIST N TURNS. Starting with a mere number of 40 students, today TWIST N TURNS currently has over 500 students. Over the time Tapas has taught and performed all over the country. He has performed in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jhansi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur etc. He has been an active participant in the Salsa India Congress in the cities of Bangalore and Bombay, and he has also visited various International Salsa Congresses in Europe, namely in Berlin ,Singapore, Hong Kong,Dubai. He is been also trained recently at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Alvin Alley (New York) and Steps on Broadway (New York). He is not only a dancer or teacher. He is a successful choreographer and has coordinated various shows without difficulty in our country. His leadership skills are exceptional, thus he is where he stands today. His aim in life would be to become a dance educator. He wants to share his tremendous knowledge in the right way to the right people. He is also, simultaneously running other brands like Zumba Kolkata, Bollywood Studio ArtistWala.com and India International Dance Institute.