Misty Copeland is not your average ballerina.
While most professionals have been prancing around in their dance slippers since toddlers, Copeland didn’t become aware of her natural ability until her first lesson at age 13. Sixteen years later, the award-winning ballerina is the first Black soloist for the historic American Ballet Theater in 20 years. In an industry dominated by young White women, she is the outlier.
Copeland recently sat down with EBONY to discuss what it’s like to be a “game changer,” her thoughts on breaking the Black soloist drought and what she wants her legacy to be.
On being the “unlikely ballerina…”
“It’s shocking! It’s very rare that someone in my field gets this kind of [mainstream] recognition. It’s never really our focus [to become famous]; we work so hard in the studio and we give everything we’ve got on stage and normally we get to leave it at that.
But I know that my story is different from the typical ballet dancer’s story and I want many young African-American girls to know that it’s ok to venture into this art form. I know the struggles [in this industry] and how important it is for young women to have someone out there that they can relate to, so I’m happy to be one of the voices of ballet right now.”
On why it’s been 20 years since there was a Black soloist in the ABT…
“Unfortunately, I think that many Black dancers are intimidated because they see that there haven’t been many who have made it successfully and they’re being told [by instructors] that it’s going to be such a struggle [to be a Black ballerina] and it’ll be easier for you to be a modern or contemporary or hip hop dancer. I mentor 7 and 8 year-old dancers and they’ve been told straight out that they can’t be a successful ballet dancer because they’re Black. I get so emotional when I see these struggles they are having. That’s why it’s so important for me to be a positive role model for them and to be a voice telling them, ‘Don’t give up!’”
On her legacy…
“I think Maya Angelou said it best, “People may not always remember exactly what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” I hope that people who have seen me perform or seen an interview with me were moved and will remember a positive feeling. I hope to set an extremely positive example for the young dancers I mentor and for the ballet world and I’d like to just continue to represent Black dancers well. I still have a lot more dancing left to do!”
Check out the full interview at EBONY.com!