On September 10, 1982, Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Raised in Southern California, she began formal ballet training at the relatively late age of 13—a striking departure from the early childhood training typical of many professional classical dancers. Her talent was recognized quickly, setting her on an unexpected path toward one of ballet’s most visible stages.
Copeland joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in 2000 and entered the main company’s corps de ballet in 2001. She became a soloist in 2007 and, on June 30, 2015, was promoted to principal dancer. The appointment made her the first African American woman to hold ABT’s highest performing rank in the company’s then-75-year history.
Her achievement carried significance beyond a single company or promotion, challenging long-standing conventions regarding the typical training timeline, physical background, and entry path for elite classical performers. Through a repertoire that spanned definitive principal roles in Swan Lake, Firebird, and Romeo and Juliet, Copeland combined technical athletic precision with a highly expressive dramatic style. Beyond her stage work, she used her public visibility and writing to advocate for expanded educational access and mentorship programs for young dancers from non-traditional backgrounds.
Copeland’s career helped expand public ideas about who belongs in classical ballet. Her rise from a late-starting student to a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre remains an important milestone in the ongoing evolution of American dance.
Image of Misty from Gilda N. Squire via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
