The Final Call

First Black female principal at American Ballet Theatre

By AP | Last updated: Jul 7, 2015 - 10:49:12 AM

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Misty Copeland speaks to reporters during a news conference, June 30, in New York. Photos: AP/Wide Photos

NEW YORK (AP) — Misty Copeland, the Missouri-born dancer who has become a forceful voice for diversity in ballet and a rare celebrity in that field, was named principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre on June 28 — the first Black ballerina to achieve that status in the company’s 75-year history.

The company announced the promotion six days after Ms. Copeland made her New York debut in the role of Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake,” one of the most important roles in a ballerina’s repertoire. The emotional performance ended with Ms. Copeland being greeted onstage by trailblazing Black ballerinas of earlier generations.

Ms. Copeland, 32, has become increasingly famous over the past several years, achieving a pop culture status that’s extremely rare for a ballet dancer.

In this Sept. 3, 2014 photo released by ABT, Misty Copeland performs in “Swan Lake,” at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Queensland, Australia.

She appeared on the cover of Time magazine as one of the most influential figures of 2015, and wrote both a children’s book and a best-selling memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” in which she recounted the challenges she faced on the road to her hard-won perch in ballet — and which has been optioned for a movie. She also was the subject of a documentary at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Ms. Copeland is the first Black ballerina and the second Black dancer overall to be a principal at ABT.