Black History: Misty Copeland

After years of executing graceful pirouettes, and crisp dégagés, African American ballerina, Misty Copeland, finally danced her way to the top.

Misty was born on September 10, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri as the fourth of her mother’s six children. Growing up in a very dysfunctional home, Misty found her escape through dance. At the age of 13 she moved into the home of her then dance teacher, and began to focus on her dance career.

Misty quickly established a reputation as an accomplished ballerina, and in June of 2015, she earned the prestige of being the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the 75 year history of American Ballet Theater.
“I had moments of doubting myself, and wanting to quit, because I didn’t know that there would be a future for an African-American woman to make it to this level,” said Copeland during a press conference.
Misty has held various leading roles within ballet productions, including the star role in “Swan Lake” and “Firebird”; however, the criticism she received after performances created some self-doubt, yet also motivated her to push forward and breakthrough the racial barriers associated with the ballet community.
Misty addresses her struggles as an African-American ballerina in her memoir published in 2014 entitled, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina.” The rarity of Copeland’s rise as a ballerina has shone a brighter light on the need for diversity within the ballet community.

written by: Racqui