Misty Copeland: The Woman Who Faced Adversity and Smashed a Dance Ceiling
February 24, 2018
Born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 10, 1982, Misty Danielle Copeland was the fourth of six children. She and her siblings endured both physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their mother’s fourth husband, while also having to hear him refer to them using racial slurs for their mixed ethnicities. But ya girl Misty overcame and absolutely thrived, becoming the first African American to be appointed as a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). THAT’S A BIG DEAL, FAM!
Misty found peace in dance and performance at school. She connected with the story of Nadia Comaneci, a Romanian gymnast. She performed dance routines at home to songs by the iconic Mariah Carey. Misty was also chosen to be the captain of her drill team in middle school. It was Misty’s drill team teacher that encouraged her to take ballet classes at the local Boys and Girls Club that she attended.
At 13 years old (which in ballet years is old), Misty was perform choreography immediately upon seeing it and could dance en pointe after just a short time in ballet training. She was a prodigy.
As Misty continued to learn and dance, however, was still rocky; Her mother was leaving her step-father and the family had to move into a motel. Ultimately, her mother allowed Misty to move in with her dance teacher, Cynthia Bradley and her family and Misty continued to train, thriving in the public spotlight as an up-and-coming performer.
She was featured in a special performances with the likes of Queen Angela Bassett and she landed a lead role in Debbie Allen’s production of “The Chocolate Nutcracker.”
By 15, Misty was receiving professional offers in her dance career. Meanwhile Misty’s mother and Cynthia Bradley were having a legal battle concerning the custody of Misty. It was during this time that Misty looked into legal emancipation. Her request was dropped though and she had to return to live with her mother.
But Misty wasn’t giving up. She was not letting dancing nor her career go. She took classes at Lauridsen Ballet Centre and did a summer intensive at ABT. She going the studio company of ABT in 2000 and became a part of the corps de ballet in 2001.
By 2007 Misty was an ABT soloist and was showcased in “The Nutcracker,” “FIrebird,” “Back Partita,” and various other shows which were highly praised by critics.
Misty was and is a trailblazer in the African American community, especially the dance world. As someone who got a late start in their career, Misty is one of the few African American performers in classical dance. She was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015 (which basically never happens to dancers), and then the most groundbreaking thing of all happened in June 2015, Misty was selected to be a principal dancer (and rightfully so) for ABT—the first African American performer to do so in the company’s history. This was huge. MONUMENTAL!
Misty continues to be an icon and role model to African American children. She is a New York Times best selling author for her 2014 memoir “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” with co-writer and journalist Charisse Jones, and her award winning children’s book, “Firebird.” She’s had endorsement deals with Coach and American Express, she did a spot on Prince’s Welcome 2 tour, and guest appeared on So You Think You Can Dance. She’s also inspired a Barbie doll as part of the Sheroes program for female heroes who break boundaries.
Literally, an icon.
