Misty Copeland recently made history in becoming the first African-American female principal at New York’s American Ballet Theatre, having been promoted from the rank of soloist. This promotion significantly expands racial diversity within the elite ranks of ballet, an issue – one would argue – which should not exist at all.
Copeland’s promotion ends months of speculation, with a positive and celebratory outcome. At 32, she recently danced the dual role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, making her New York debut, as well as a career debut in Romeo and Juliet. Copeland’s presence on stage is like no other; she shines in both classical and contemporary ballets. With extraordinary facility and the ability to make any role her own with drama and sensitivity, it is no wonder Copeland has achieved such success.
Her rags to riches story has captivated audiences far wider than those in the arts. Copeland found her way to ballet through a Boys & Girls Club in the United States, as one of a large family. At 13, a late starting age for dancers, she began studying at the San Pedro City Ballet in California, later attending American Ballet Theatre’s summer classes. She then joined American Ballet Theatre’s junior company in 2000, and then the main company’s corps de ballet in 2001. In 2007, she was promoted to soloist and her promotion to principal has been anticipated ever since.
Rising from poverty to ballet’s highest rank has consequently captivated a wide audience in demonstrating ballet’s previous resistance to change and modernisation. Copeland now has a large, supportive audience, encountering her on stage and also on social media, a 2014 advertisement for the Under Armour sportswear brand and also via her best-selling memoir. It is clear there is a direct link between breaking social barriers onstage and drawing a broad audience from all walks of life.