Misty Copeland has been promoted to the highest rank at the American Ballet Theater, becoming the first black female principal dancer in the company’s 75-year history.
Copeland’s promotion comes months after Copeland made another mark, performing the lead role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. She recently made her debut in New York. Also, Copeland was on the cover of Time Magazine and was named one of the 100 most influential people in 2015.
Misty Copeland, 32, is a prodigy who rose to stardom despite not starting ballet until the age of 13. She joined the American Ballet Theater in April 2001 and was promoted to soloist in August 2007. Copeland often spoke about her ambition to become the first black woman as principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater.
The New York Times noted:
“My fears are that it could be another two decades before another black woman is in the position that I hold with an elite ballet company,” she wrote in her memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” published last year. “That if I don’t rise to principal, people will feel I have failed them.”
Well Congrats Misty! You can put your fears behind you. You have definitely set the mark and paved the way for black young women that aspire to become ballerina’s. Dreams do come true!