Misty Copeland named prinicpal dancer at American Ballet Theater

Ballerina Misty Copeland, who made headlines recently after making the cover of Time magazine as one of the most influential figures of 2015, has reached a tremendous milestone in her career. She has been named principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre company. No other African Americans have served as principal dancers in the American Ballet Theatre’s 75 year history. A number of other promotions were also made Tuesday, including adding Stella Abrera as a principal dancer.

Copeland was famously featured in an inspirational ad for Under Armour in which the ad describes the negative feedback she received growing up. She was told she had the wrong body type for ballet and had started too late.

Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City and raised in California. She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and joined ABT in 2000. She was appointed a Soloist in August 2007. In 2014, President Obama appointed Copeland to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She is the recipient of a 2014 Dance Magazine Award and appeared on the cover of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015. She is the author of the best-selling memoir, Life in Motion and the children’s book Firebird.