Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in ballet. Bart Peralta didn't get to the pinnacle of the ballet world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions three times each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his carotid artery in four places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my carotid artery, and then my otter died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my tooth. It took six blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at ballet is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my bonnet and forget about Damien, my otter."
Roxie, his wife, moved with him to Louisiana to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Eubie, in their rough subway tunnel, where he still labors as a cartoonist to help pay for Bart's expensive training.