Misty Copeland Becomes First Black Principle Dancer at American Ballet Theatre

ClaryMisty Copeland attends a gala celebrating the Time 100 issue of the Most Influential People at the Lincoln Center in New York on April 21, 2015New York (AFP) – Misty Copeland, whose personal story and social media prowess helped make her a rare celebrity in ballet, made history Tuesday as the first black female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Amid the overwhelming response to her historic appointment, she was adamant that she isn’t an “overnight sensation”. The crowd was filled with young girls – black and white – in their party dresses. “You have to have believe in yourself”.

Misty Copeland is going where no Black ballerina has gone before: right to the top of the American Ballet Theater.

The 32-year-old has been with the company since 2001 and danced as a soloist when she was 8 years young. “If I do not rise to principle, people will feel I have failed them”. “It’s an exciting day for all of us”.

Copeland was also the first African-American female to perform classic ballet “Swan Lake”.

Her roles with ABT include Clara, the Princess in Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. “My dream has been ABT [American Ballet Theatre] since I was 13….” She was so gifted, however, that she was taken in by her ballet teacher.

He likened the ballerina to a banker, and commended her “physical and mental toughness, the poise, the preparation” – qualities you need to be successful on Wall Street.

COPELAND: I was the one brown girl up there, and some people just thought that I kind of ruined the aesthetic of the group. Four years after she began taking ballet lessons, she accepted a scholarship to American Ballet Theatre. At the same time, it made me so hungry to push through, to carry the next generation. Last December, she told The Wall Street Journal that “being African-American has pushed me to work harder than I might have if I did not have that obstacle”.

But Copeland said she never let those insults sway her.

“This is it”, she said. “It will allow me to focus on these major roles”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. “Misty has proven to be a true trailblazer, whose passion for her art is only matched by the intensity of her will, and we are excited to celebrate this historical achievement”.