Dance Masters: Misty Copeland

It’s relatively rare for a dancer to break out of the insular world professional dance and become a truly famous artist, but Misty Copeland has broken through that barrier.

As the first black principal dancer in the premiere company American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland is not only a fantastically talented dancer but also an inspiration to black ballerinas, and, more generally, dancers of color, everywhere. 

Misty Copeland is considered a prodigy, as she took to dancing en pointe just three months after beginning her training in ballet at age thirteen, which is highly unusual. Equally impressive is that she started dancing professionally just one year later.

Beyond her long roster of starring roles in ABT’s many productions, Misty has secured multiple high-end partnerships and sponsorships, been featured in countless news outlets, released a Master Class, and has written two books - a memoir and a children’s story.

You can learn more about Misty and her career at her website, here.

Watch Time Magazine’s feature on how Misty Copeland changed the face of ballet below: