Misty Copeland didn’t discover ballet until she was 13 years old. Yet she changed the way the dance looks forever. In June 2015, she became the principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. No Black woman had ever had that top job in the 75-year history of the ballet company!
Copeland has performed in shows such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. She has danced for audiences around the world and appeared on TV and in movies. By now, Copeland may be the most famous active ballerina on Earth. The ballerina’s success took a long time — and a lot of hard work.
“I had moments of doubting myself and wanting to quit,” Copeland admitted. “I didn’t know if there would be a future for an African American woman at [a high] level,” she explained. “At the same time, it made me so hungry to push through.” She said that there is an important lesson for students to learn.
“The beauty of life is discovery,” Copeland told News-O-Matic. “The journey we all walk leads us to who we are,” she added. “Sometimes our passions and gifts aren’t so black and white,” said Copeland. And she said you might have to work to find your hidden talents: “You may have to create that for yourself.”
Before she learned ballet, Copeland was a writer. “When I was a child, writing was so for me,” she explained. “It was an escape, but writing also gave me a voice that I had not yet discovered completely until I found ballet.” As an adult, Copeland has continued writing. In fact, she has even become a bestselling author of several books — including an autobiography and a children’s book called Firebird.
“To this day, writing allows me to create and to sort through all the thoughts and feelings I have,” Copeland explained. And she called writing and ballet “ .” How are those two art forms so connected? “My favorite part about both is creating and expressing myself!” she answered.
Copeland hopes young people will keep reading and writing. After all, literacy helped her become a world-famous ballerina. “I want people to know the impact that art and reading played in making me who I am today,” she explained. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to not lose the simple, yet powerful, impact reading has on a young person,” she added.
“I think all children need both to reach their fullest potential,” Copeland continued. The history-making ballerina also had a few final tips to help students find their own gifts someday.
“My advice would be to not be afraid to explore,” she suggested. “Be open. Allow yourself room to fall and recover.”
Updated February 9, 2022, 5:03 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
