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Misty Copeland: Prince changed my life with one phone call

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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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Misty Copeland and James Whiteside in "Swan Lake." Credit... Julieta Cervantes for The New York Times

Misty Copeland was fast becoming the most famous ballerina in the United States - making the cover of Time magazine, being profiled by " 60 Minutes," growing into a social media sensation and dancing ballet's biggest roles on some of its grandest stages. But another role eluded her: She was still not a principal dancer.

Until Tuesday, when Ms. Copeland became the first African-American woman to be named a principal in the 75-year history of American Ballet Theater.

Even as her promotion was celebrated by her many fans, it raised all-too-familiar questions about why African-American dancers, particularly women, remain so underrepresented at top ballet companies in the 21st century, despite the work of pioneering black dancers who broke racial barriers in the past. And it showed how media and communications have changed in dance, with Ms. Copeland deftly using modern tools - an online ad she made for Under Armour has been viewed more than 8 million times - to spread her fame far beyond traditional dance circles, drawing new audiences to ballet.

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Fans of Ms. Copeland waiting at the stage entrance earlier this month. Credit... Julieta Cervantes for The New York Times

"I had moments of doubting myself, and wanting to quit, because I didn't know that there would be a future for an African-American woman to make it to this level," Ms. Copeland said at a news conference at the Metropolitan Opera House on Tuesday afternoon. "At the same time, it made me so hungry to push through, to carry the next generation. So it's not me up here - and I'm constantly saying that - it's everyone that came before me that got me to this position."

Fittingly, the moment of her promotion was captured on video and shared on Instagram. "Misty, take a bow," Kevin McKenzie, Ballet Theater's artistic director, could be seen saying, before colleagues congratulated Ms. Copeland, who seemed to be fighting back tears. Her promotion was lauded on social media by, among others, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Prince, who had featured her in a video.

Over the past year, whenever Ms. Copeland, 32, danced leading roles with Ballet Theater, her performances became events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on at the Metropolitan Opera House, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. After she starred in "Swan Lake" with Ballet Theater last week - becoming the first African-American to do so with the company at the Met - the crowd of autograph-seekers was so large that it had to be moved away from the cramped area outside the stage door.

In a break with ballet tradition, Ms. Copeland was unusually outspoken about her ambition of becoming the first black woman to be named a principal by Ballet Theater, one of the country's most prestigious companies, which is known for its international roster of stars and for staging full-length classical story ballets. She wrote about her goals and struggles in a memoir published last year, " Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina."

A number of leading dance companies and schools, including Ballet Theater, have begun new efforts to increase diversity in classical ballet, but there is a long way to go. Jennifer Homans, the author of "Apollo's Angels," a history of ballet, said that ballet had fallen far behind other art forms, like theater, in that regard - making what she called the "phenomenon" of Ms. Copeland all the more important.

"What she has come to represent is so important in the dance world, and in the ballet world in particular," said Ms. Homans, who is the director of the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. "I think it's about time. But I don't think it's enough."

This history made Ms. Copeland's chances for promotion a much-discussed topic in the dance world, and put a rare public spotlight on Ballet Theater as it weighed the kind of personnel decision that, in the rarefied world of ballet, is seldom talked about openly. That race could still be such an issue in 2015 - and that African-Americans could remain so rarely seen in elite ballet companies - has been depressing to many dancegoers, and has led to impassioned discussions in the dance world and beyond about race, stereotypes and image.

The dearth of black women in top ballet companies has been attributed to a variety of factors, from the legacy of discrimination and lingering stereotypical concepts of what ballerinas should look like to the lack of exposure to ballet and training opportunities in many communities.

Ms. Copeland was featured on one of the five different covers for Time magazine's "100 most influential people" issue.

More than a half-century has passed since the pioneering black dancer Arthur Mitchell broke through the color barrier and became a principal dancer at New York City Ballet in 1962, and a generation has elapsed since Lauren Anderson became the first African-American principal at Houston Ballet, in 1990. But City Ballet has had only two black principal dancers, both men: Mr. Mitchell and Albert Evans, who died last week. Ballet Theater officials said that the company's only African-American principal dancer before now was Desmond Richardson, who joined as a principal in 1997.

In ballet, principals earn not only the respect of the dance world but are also paid more, dance bigger roles and see their photos in programs, as well as their names in larger type. Ms. Copeland last seemed on the verge of promotion in 2012 after a breakthrough performance in the title role of Stravinsky's "The Firebird," but she was sidelined by injury.

Ms. Copeland's promotion was announced by Mr. McKenzie at a company meeting on Tuesday morning. Three other dancers, enormously respected in the dance world but far less famous outside of it, were also made principals. Stella Abrera, who has been a soloist with the company since 2001, was promoted, and two more principals were hired from outside: Maria Kochetkova, a principal with San Francisco Ballet, and Alban Lendorf, a principal with Royal Danish Ballet.

Skylar Brandt, Thomas Forster, Luciana Paris, Arron Scott and Cassandra Trenary were promoted to soloist, and Jeffrey Cirio, a principal with Boston Ballet, will join the company as a soloist.

Ms. Copeland and Mr/ Whiteside in the world premiere of "With a Chance of Rain" in 2014 at the David H. Koch Theater. Credit... Andrea Mohin/The New York Times

While Ms. Copeland has earned many good reviews when she has danced big roles, including some calling for her promotion, other critics have suggested that she still has work to do to make some classical roles fully her own. When she danced the double role of Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" for the first time, in New York last week, she did not do some of the traditional bravura fouetté turns - which critics forgave, but noted. But she has also established herself outside traditional dance circles with her books (her memoir and "Firebird," an illustrated children's book), ads and public appearances, and has received help shaping her public image from her manager, Gilda Squire.

In last week's "Swan Lake," cheers for Ms. Copeland repeatedly stopped the show. Smartphones came out to record her curtain calls, and she was handed bouquets onstage by Ms. Anderson and Raven Wilkinson, who danced with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the late 1950s.

Afterward, little girls carried copies of "Firebird" to be signed, and several adults held copies of "Life in Motion," the memoir Ms. Copeland wrote with Charisse Jones. The crowd cheered when she emerged from the theater. A man shouted: "Principal! Principal, Misty! Principal, dear!" A woman called out, "Congratulations, Misty!"

Before signing autographs and posing for pictures, Ms. Copeland addressed the crowd in a quiet voice choked with emotion. "Thank you so, so much for your support - it means so much to me to have you all here," she said. "It's such a special day for me, and for so many people who have come before me. So thank you for being here on this amazing day."

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Misty Copeland Is Promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theater (Published 2015)

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Misty Copeland was fast becoming the most famous ballerina in the United States - making the cover of Time magazine, being profiled by " 60 Minutes," growing into a social media sensation and dancing ballet's biggest roles on some of its grandest stages. But another role eluded her: She was still not a principal dancer.

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Misty, Copeland. Life in Motion. Simon and Schuster. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, New Delhi.

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When Misty was 2, her mom moved away with her, her sister and brothers. Misty never remembered her father, she had no memories of him.
On page 9 it says, "From the time I turned two, my life was in constant motion. That's how old I was when my mother loaded me, my sister, and my brothers onto a Greyhound bus in Kansas City and we left my father,"

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After they left Misty's father, Misty's mother met Harold. Harold for the longest was a sort of father figure to Misty. After five years of living with Harold in his apartment, the family picked up and left again.

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After Misty and her siblings performed in a talent show, her sister recommended ballet to Misty. Elizabeth, her sister, knew a place where Misty should go take ballet.
On page 32 Elizabeth says to Misty, "You know you have the perfect physique for ballet and a natural ability... I know you go to the Boys and Girls Club after school. A friend of mine teaches a ballet class there. Her name is Cindy Bradley. Why don't you check it out?"

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After 8 weeks of doing ballet and joining Cindy's studio, Misty is already going en pointe. Pointe shoes are are reinforced shoes that let ballerina's go on the tips of their toes.

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Misty's mother doesn't want her to continue dancing because of the commute she has to take to get to Cindy's studio. Cindy offered to let Misty live with her so she can continue dancing at her studio. It was very emotional for both Misty's mom and Cindy, but Misty's mom let her go.

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Misty's performances in LA were getting attention. Misty got the recognition of Debbie Allen, who wanted her to be the lead in The Chocolate Nutcracker.

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Misty applied for many ballet summer intensives. One of the intensives she applied for was San Francisco Ballet, which is the one she choose to attend.
On page 99 it says, "So I choose them. A few weeks later, I was off to San Francisco."

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Misty's mom decided that she wanted Misty to move back and fully live with her again. Her Mom felt that Cindy was more of Misty's mom than she was. This was a very emotional time for Misty, her Mom, and Cindy.

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Misty tried to become emancipated but her mother strongly disliked the idea. Misty's emancipation became a lot of drama between her mother and the Bradleys, Cindy and her family. All the drama led to her not becoming emancipated.

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Misty was invited to audition for ABT's summer intensive by Rebecca Wright, the program's director. Misty later on received a full scholarship, and went to New York.
On page 135 it says, "A couple of weeks later I received a letter in the mail telling me that I had been accepted on a full scholarship. In June, I headed to New York."

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Misty was invited to join ABT. Misty decided she wants to finish high school first and then accepted the invite.
On page 147 it says, "That June, I graduated, and I couldn't get out of my cap and gown quick enough so that I could pack my bags. I was headed to New York City for good.

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Misty formed a stress fracture in her back. During this time she was offered the lead role, Clara in the Nutcracker but had to turn it down due to the stress fracture.  Misty's first year in the corps she won't be able to dance
On page 161 it says, "Twenty-three hours a day, for six months, I had to wear a back brace. I did everything but bathe in it. Then, there would be another six months spent rehabilitating."

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After a comment made by someone, Misty began feeling insecure about her body. Misty began engaging in emotional overeating. Misty's overeating problems began to take a toll on her emotions. Over the course of five years though, Misty began to understand her body, the right diet for her and correct exercises.

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Throughout her ballet career, Misty has experienced racism. On page 177 when one of her friends from ABT asked her, "Did you see that stupid article in the Times, 'Where Are All the Black Swans?'" This made Misty feel dismissed, she began to cry even. Misty also felt that since there weren't any other black dancers at ABT, that she couldn't connect with anyone during this time.

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Misty met her first boyfriend, who helped her with her body image issues. He was very encouraging and helpful to Misty. Slowly Misty became more confident in herself again.

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On August 20, 2004, Misty met her father. Her brother had met their father before, he took Misty with him to meet him again.

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Prince reached out to Misty, specifically wanting her to be in a music video with him. This was a start of a friendship between Misty and Prince.

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In 2007, Misty was nominated to be one of the two ABT dancers to represent the company in the Erik Bruhn Competition. A couple of days before the competition, Misty hurt herself, she pushed through and was able to perform. After they unfortunately lost the competition, Kevin called her in to talk

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After the competition, Kevin thought it was time for Misty to become a soloist. Misty would be the first black soloist at ABT in the last twenty years.
On page 231 it says, "He had decided, at last, to make me a soloist. Kevin told me that the night of the Erik Bruhn competition was the first time he saw me as a true ballerina.

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At the very beginging of Misty's career she started off in the Boys and Girls club, now she is in the hall of fame. Liz and Dick Cantine, her mother, Cindy, and Patrick all attended this.
On page 232 it says, "In 2012, I traveled to San Diego to be inducted into the Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame."

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Kevin told her that she would be learning the role of the firebird. Misty assumed she would just be an understudy, but came to find out, got the actual role.

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Before her firebird debut, another stress fracture in Misty's shin began to arise. Misty pushed through her stress fracture, making it even worse. Eventually, Misty had to get surgery for her stress fracture. It took a while, but Misty eventually recovered.

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Many people ask Misty, "what's next". Misty doesn't believe she will do all the glamorous things on TV in Hollywood.
On page 265 it says, "But most often, when I'm asked about my plans for the future, I shrug and smile, then say, 'Rehearsal'."