Breaking Barriers with Misty Copeland

Hello gorgeous and welcome back to You Go Girl! Though I only took two years of ballet lessons as a young girl (I quit because I thought ballet was only for little girls and at 5 years old, I thought I was a big girl...), I have always admired the poise, gracefulness, and strength of ballerinas. One ballerina that has received the spotlight in recent years is Misty Copeland, the first female African American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, or ABT.

Misty Copeland was born on September 10, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri, but grew up in San Pedro, California with her mother and five other siblings. Her home life was characterized by financial uncertainty and instability. It was this background that drove Misty to turn to dance as a creative outlet. She began taking a ballet class at the local Boys and Girls Club with Cynthia Bradley at the age of 13, a late starting point compared to other professional dancers. Because of natural talent, she soon began taking classes with Bradley at the San Pedro Ballet School. As her training intensified, she moved in with Bradley's family to be closer to the studio.

At the age of 15, in 1998, Copeland was awarded first place in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards in the category of ballet. Later that year, she was offered a full scholarship into the San Francisco Ballet's summer intensive program. After a custody between the Bradley family and Copeland's mother, she moved back in with her biological family. She moved her ballet studies to Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance, California.

In 2000, Copeland was awarded a full scholarship to the summer intensive program with the ABT. She was also named the ABT's National Coca-Cola Scholar this year. After her summer in the program, she was invited to join the ABT's studio company, comprised of highly competitive dancers still in training. Just a year later, she was promoted to the corps de ballet. In this group of 80 women, she was the only African American. In 2007, she became the ABT's first African American soloist in nearly twenty years. Soon after, Copeland starred in Prince's music video for "Crimson and Clover". She performed live on tour with him in 2010.

Copeland performing the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet during her time as a soloist at the ABT

As Copeland gained fame for her groundbreaking story, she became an advocate for diversity in the field of ballet and making dance accessible for people of a variety of different racial and economic backgrounds. She was placed on the ABT's advisory committee for Project Plié, an initiative bringing mentorship and training to dance instructors in racially diverse communities around the country.

In 2014, Copeland published her memoir, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, as well as a picture book entitled Firebird. During the same year, she was appointed to President Obama's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. She received an honorary doctorate in November 2014 from the University of Hartford for her work in the field of classical ballet and her efforts to diversify it.

Copeland dancing the role of Odette in Swan Lake

In June 2015, Copeland was promoted to the role of principal dancer, the first African American woman to hold this position in the 75 year history of the ABT. She has used her success to give back by serving as a mentor for young girls and boys by partnering with many different charitable organizations, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Copeland's story is astounding for so many reasons. Her natural talent for ballet paired with her strong work ethic and determination to succeed earned her great success, despite her late start with the art form. As the first female African American principal dancer at the ABT, she is a powerful voice for diversity and a perfect role model for young boys and girls of color who need to see someone that looks like them in their field. I admire the fearlessness with which she uses her voice. Her passion for advocacy and giving back to others is a reminder that we should never forget where we come from.

Misty Copeland continues to shatter barriers and unapologetically claim what she has worked tirelessly for. Where can you shatter barriers in your life? Having role models like Misty to look up to reminds us all that we can do it. Use you voice. Loudly. Unapologetically. Fearlessly. Break down barriers and make way for others to do the same.

You go girl,

Maddie