As she retires from American Ballet Theatre, where she was its first black principal dancer, Misty Copeland talks about ongoing challenges
Ten years ago this month, Misty Copeland sat in front of a hastily arranged news conference fighting back tears of pride over her new role: principal dancer for New York’s American Ballet Theatre (ABT) company.
“This is it,” she said, with emotion. “This has been my dream since I was 13.”
The occasion was highly unusual. Normally, when a dancer is promoted, a brief press release is issued. But this was Copeland, a crossover star with fame beyond the insular world of ballet. And now she was becoming the first black female principal in the company’s history – just days after her New York debut as the lead in Swan Lake brought a refreshingly diverse, packed audience to the Metropolitan Opera House.
Now, a decade and many accomplishments later, Copeland is retiring from the company she joined as a teenager.
