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Misty Copeland was born on December 10th 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father, Doug Copeland, left their family when Misty was only two, so she never really had a chance to meet him. She grew up with her mother, Sylvie DelaCerna, siblings, Erica, Douglas,  Christopher, and step siblings, Lindsey-Monique Brown and Cameron Koa DelaCerna.

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After her birth father had left the family, her mom married a man named Harold. This was the father that earned the title of "Dad". Misty described Harold as cheerful, comforting,  and kind, with an infectious laugh.  Although this man was a very good father,  he was an alcoholic which caused him to sometimes have a temper. In chapter 1, on page 11, of her book it says, "That was the side of Harold the kids saw: cheerful, comforting, kind. But behind that facade of laughter and fun, my mother saw something completely different. Harold was an alcoholic." Despite his issue, Misty states on page 12, "I never loved Harold any less."

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Experience 3: First Introduction to Ballet

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Experience 3: First Introduction to Ballet

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When Misty was 13 years old, she joined a Boys and Girls Club where they taught ballet. At this club,  she met a woman named Cynthia Bradley, who was ultimately the one who opened her eyes to the world of dance.

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Just a year later, when Misty was 14, she received her first pair of pointe shoes. This may not seem like a big milestone, but for a dancer, it is a huge rite of passage. Page 44 says, "Techniques that would normally take a young dancer months, even years, to learn, let alone perfect, I mastered in minutes. Eight weeks after walking into Cindy's school, I stood en pointe for the first time."

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On December 1st, 1996, Misty played the lead role of "Clara" in the Nutcracker. This experience helped her name become more known to the world.

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When Misty was 16, she made the decision to come back to Southern California and finish high school. As she was leaving the American Ballet Theater, she was awarded the Coca Cola Scholarship, which helped her pay for her training back home. This is supported in her book, on page 146, as it reads, "As a parting gift, ABT awarded me a Coca-Cola Scholarship, money that would pay for my pointe shoes and training back in Southern California."

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In 2000, when she was only 18 years of age, Misty got accepted to teach at the American Ballet Theater (ABT). This was one of the most exciting parts of her career because she would now be paid to do what she loves the very most.

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When Misty was 15 years old,  the morning of the spotlight awards, she noticed herself full of nerves, unlike anything she had felt before. As she says on page 93 of her book, "It was a feeling that was so new in connection with dance that at first sight I didn't even know what it was." Misty was feeling a lot of pressure as she was about to be performing in front of a big crowd, but this experience was just the beginning of the nerves and excitement of dancing alone in a room full of people.

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When Misty was 22 years old, she met her father for the first time. He left the family when she was only 2 years old, so she doesn't have any memories or experiences with him. This was really important because now she has someone to turn to when times got rough, someone that would be there for her, someone that cared for her. In the Acknowledgments on page 269, it says, "Thank you Daddy for stepping into my life and raising me as your own."

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On March 24th, 1988, she received the Los Angeles Music Centre Spotlight Award. This was big deal because it made her name known to the world which helped her to begin her dancing career.

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In 1998, there arose some issues with her mom's custody of her. At this time, Misty actually moved in with her dance teacher, Cynthia Bradley, but by the end of this case, was living with her mother again. Misty was greatly effected by this whole experience because it was extremely emotional, and in the end, she lost her dance coach which was the one person that never gave up on her.

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On August 25, 2007, Misty Copeland became a soloist with the ABT dance company. She was one of only three African Americans to do this.

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Misty Copeland had the chance to be in a music video and go on tour with Prince. The tour was called "Welcome 2 America". Misty thoughts as she got asked are explained on page 214. It reads, "I immediately zoned out, trying to envision how I would move to his music as a ballerina. The thought was odd but thrilling."

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Misty Copeland's life was greatly changed after her glorious performance of the Firebird. After that night, she found out that she had six stress fractures in her tibia. She explained the situation in her book on page 252. It reads, "But this time was more serious. I had six stress fractures in my tibia, the larger bone below the knee. I had been in pain the entire six months I had prepared for the Firebird and La Bayadere, unknowingly building fracture upon fracture." Misty was devastated. She had been working so hard as a ballerina and all she wanted was to keep growing and growing, but then this. She says on page 253 of her book, "Of course, it will never be easy." This was a huge trial that she had to endure and honestly, it was really hard for her to stay hopeful. But she did it.

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Her surgery took place on October 10, 2012. During her recovery, she had befriended Marjorie. Page 255 says, "Marjorie was my savior. She kept my mind and spirit positive, while I looked toward healing." During this time, Misty "felt lost and without purpose". She was having negative thoughts and becoming depressed. Marjorie kept her above water. She helped Misty find the positives in this trial. Misty was able to grow in different aspects of ballet that she wouldn't have before, if this didn't happen.

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On June 30, 2015, Misty Copeland made history. She became the first African American principal dancer in all of time. This was not an easy place to get to though. She had to be very dedication with a true desire to be the best she can be. Misty proved to the world that she wasn't going to let anything stop her from being successful.

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Misty Copeland had the amazing opportunity to be the soloist in the Firebird. She danced her heart out while in the beautiful Metropolitan Opera House. Many people had come to support her. To Misty, this was more than just for her personal growth. It was for every single person who had helped her write her story and make it to this chapter. On page 249 of her book it says, "A Firebird has to be like a bird, but to move us she has to be like a human being...Copeland is the only highly placed African American woman in ballet in the city. Now they should promote her for artistic reasons as well as political ones. She deserves it." This quote shows how big of a deal this performance was and how Misty Copeland truly had made history.

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On May 1, 2012 Misty Copeland got accepted to be in the Boys and Girls Club Hall Of Fame. This was important because this was where her story of ballet began.

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Rising star Misty Copeland makes history as the first African American Female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.

When she discovered ballet, however, Misty was living in a shabby motel room, struggling with her five siblings for a place to sleep on the floor. A true prodigy, she was dancing en pointe within three months of taking her first dance class and performing professionally in just over a year: a feat unheard of for any classical dancer.

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Rising star Misty Copeland makes history as the first African American Female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. When she discovered ballet, however, Misty was living in a shabby motel room, struggling with her five siblings for a place to sleep on the floor.

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After Misty's injury, she wasn't able to continue dance at the high level she was previously. She began to model and promote the brand Bloch. The ads became public in 2012.

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On March 25, 2014, Misty Copeland released her book Life in Motion which is what this timeline is based off of. In the Acknowledgments section of this book, Misty wrote, "I never thought that I would be so blessed as to be given the opportunity to share all that makes me: my dreams, my struggles, and my hope to inspire many to dare to dream bigger than they can image." (269) Learning about Misty's story has inspired me to never doubt my abilities and to always find the light, even in the darkest of times.

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Who Is Misty Copeland?

Misty Copeland endured a tumultuous home life to find her way to dance, eventually studying under California ballet instructor Cindy Bradley. Copeland joined the studio company of American Ballet Theatre in 2000, becoming a soloist several years later and starring in an array of productions such as The Nutcracker and Firebird. An icon whose star shines beyond the world of classical dance, in late June 2015 Copeland became the first African American performer to be appointed as an ABT principal dancer in the company's decades-long history.

Early Life and Family

Copeland was born on September 10, 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was the fourth of six siblings. Copeland's mother Sylvia Delacerna had several successive marriages and boyfriends, with the family packing up and moving under harried conditions at times. Copeland and her siblings eventually settled in the coastal community of San Pedro in California. Delacerna's relationship and eventual marriage to her fourth husband was tumultuous: he was emotionally and physically abusive to his stepchildren and wife and would refer to them using racial slurs.

Training and Early Career

Later describing herself as an anxious child, Copeland was able to find solace in the halls of school and the world of performance, developing a love of movement and connecting with the story of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Copeland would perform dance routines at home to the songs of another icon, Mariah Carey, and eventually was chosen to be the captain of her drill team at her middle school. The teacher who ran the team thought Copeland should take ballet classes at the Boys and Girls Club she already attended. Copeland eventually did so under the tutelage of Cynthia "Cindy" Bradley, who realized that the youngster was a prodigy, able to see and perform choreographed movement immediately and dance en pointe after a very short period of ballet training.

While her dancing life was blossoming, Copeland's home life was difficult, with Delacerna leaving her husband and the family later moving into a motel. Delacerna and Bradley ultimately decided to allow the 13-year-old dancer to move in with her teacher's family. Copeland was thus able to continue her training while also entering the public spotlight as a promising up-and-coming performer, featured at special performances such as a charity event with actress Angela Bassett. Around this time Copeland also had a lead role in the Debbie Allen production The Chocolate Nutcracker. "She's an incredibly gifted ballerina. . .She's a child who dances in her soul," Allen said of Copeland in a December 1999 issue of Los Angeles Times Magazine. "I can't imagine her doing anything else."

An ABT Ballerina

After having attended a summer intensive program on scholarship at San Francisco Ballet, Copeland's mother demanded that she return home. With accompanying coverage from local media, a battle ensued between Bradley and Delacerna, with Copeland, at 15 years old, looking into legal emancipation from her biological parent. The request was ultimately dropped, however, with Copeland getting a police escort and returning to live with her mother.

Yet Copeland refused to let go of her career. After taking classes at Lauridsen Ballet Centre, she did another summer intensive in 1999, this time at the renowned American Ballet Theatre. She joined ABT's studio company in September 2000, and then became part of its corps de ballet the following year. In 2007, Copeland reached the rank of ABT soloist, with an artistic forcefulness to be showcased in productions like Marius Petipa's La Bayadère, Alexei Ratmansky's Firebird and The Nutcracker, and Twyla Tharp's Sinatra Suite and Bach Partita, among an array of performances lauded by critics.

Copeland continued to pursue her passion and develop her skills across a varied repertoire while also facing severe injuries. At the beginning of her ABT career, having had a delayed onset of puberty, she faced a vertebral fracture that required time off of dance and the wearing of a brace for practically the entire day. Years later, she had to temporarily stop dancing again to recuperate from stress fractures to her left shin.

Photo: Gilda N. Squire Gildasquire (Extracted from File:From the ballet Coppelia.jpg) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Historical Achievements

With a non-traditional entry into ballet, Copeland has created buzz outside of that world due to her being one of the few African American performers seen in classical dance. In a meteoric rise, she has continually acknowledged the responsibility she feels to brown girls looking to make their way in the art form. Her trailblazing accomplishments have been recognized by a range of institutions, and in spring 2015 she was named one of Time Magazine 's 100 Most Influential People, a rare feat for someone from the dance world.

In June 2015, Copeland became the first African American woman to dance with ABT in the dual role of Odette and Odile in Pyotry Ilycih Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Then on June 30 of that same year, Copeland scored a monumental achievement covered the world over, becoming the first African American performer to be appointed an ABT principal dancer in the company's 75-year history. At a subsequent news conference, an emotional Copeland stated in tears that the announcement marked the culmination of her lifelong dream.

A few days later, it was announced that Copeland would join the cast of the Broadway revival of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town for two weeks in late summer, succeeding Megan Fairchild in the role of Ivy Smith.

Copeland has also been able to forge a career outside of the classic traditions of ballet via the guidance of manager Gilda Squire. In addition to having her own 2013 calendar, endorsement deals with COACH and American Express, a spot on Prince's Welcome 2 tour, and a guest appearance on So You Think You Can Dance, Copeland has been one of the stars of Under Armour's "I Will What I Want" video campaign, with her clip receiving more than 8 million views and counting. Copeland is also a member of President Barack Obama's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

The ballerina has also become a tour de force in the literary world, publishing two works in 2014: New York Times best-selling memoir Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, with journalist Charisse Jones as co-writer, and the award-winning children's picture book Firebird, with art by Christopher Myers.

In May 2016, Copeland inspired a Barbie doll wearing a costume reminiscent of the one she wore in Firebird. The doll is part of Barbie's Sheroes program which honors female heroes who break boundaries.

Personal Life

Copeland married attorney Olu Evans on July 31, 2016, in Laguna Beach, California. The pair had been together for a decade before tying the knot.

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Misty Copeland endured a tumultuous home life to find her way to dance, eventually studying under California ballet instructor Cindy Bradley. Copeland joined the studio company of American Ballet Theatre in 2000, becoming a soloist several years later and starring in an array of productions such as The Nutcracker and Firebird.

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How Ballet Dancer Misty Copeland Shattered Barriers

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The acclaimed dancer opens up about her journey to the top of ballet

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Copeland, Misty. Life in Motion: an unlikely ballerina. Simon & Schuster, 2014.

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Swan Lake with Misty Copeland, Gustavo Dudamel & the LA Phil

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Misty Copeland | Biography, Performances, & Facts

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Misty Copeland: Misty Copeland, American ballet dancer who, in 2015, became the first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Her inspiring story made her a role model and a pop icon. She appeared in music videos, on Broadway, and in film. Read more about Copeland's life and career.