Misty Copeland

Misty Copeland is a ballet dancer best known for becoming the first African American female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Copeland was raised in San Pedro, California, and began ballet at age 13 — an age considered to be late by professional standards. She trained at the San Pedro Dance Center and later attended the Lauridsen Ballet Centre.

After attending a summer intensive, Copeland joined the American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in 2000 and became a soloist in 2007. Her rise gained national attention as she broke racial barriers in classical ballet. In 2015, she was promoted to principal dancer, becoming the first Black woman to hold the title in the company’s 75-year history.

Throughout her career, she has danced lead roles in productions such as Firebird, Swan Lake and Giselle. She has also starred in the documentary A Ballerina’s Tale (2015) and the Disney film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018).

She has also authored several books and published her debut memoir Life in Motion in 2014.

Copeland married attorney Olu Evans in 2016. The couple welcomed their first child, son Jackson, in 2022.