Misty Copeland named first black female principal at American Ballet Theatre in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — Misty Copeland, the Missouri-born ballerina who’s become a forceful voice for diversity in ballet and achieved a celebrity that far transcends that rarified world, was named principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre on Tuesday — the first African-American woman to reach that status in the company’s 75-year history.

Copeland, 32, fought tears as she spoke about her promotion, which she said was a lifetime dream — but such a difficult one to attain that she never really thought it would happen.

“This is it,” she said. “This has been my dream since I was 13, to be a principal dancer and reach these heights.”

“But it hasn’t been overnight,” she added at a hastily arranged news conference — a rarity for a ballet promotion. “It’s been 14 years of extremely hard work … I’m just so extremely honored to be an African-American and to be in this position.”

And, Copeland said, she hoped her ascension to the very top ranks of ballet would inspire other young dancers of color — “all the little girls” — to stick with their own dreams.

“So many young dancers of color stop dancing at an early age because they just don’t think there will be a career path for them,” she said. “I hope that will change.” She spoke of her own doubts when she joined the ABT corps at age 19 and saw no one “who looked like me.”