Hannah Says... All About Misty Copeland!
MISTY COPELAND is a dancer with ABT (American Ballet Theatre). Although she didn’t start dancing until she was 13, she signed with ABT in 2000 when she was only a senior in high school. In 2007, she became a soloist with the company. Her career was forever changed when in 2012, Misty starred in the ABT premier of the ballet The Firebird. Most notably, in 2015 Misty Copeland became ABT’s first African American principal dancer.
Throughout her life, Misty has struggled with body image issues and has been criticized for not having a “ballerina body”. Overcoming the criticism, Misty has not only become accepted for her athletic body type, but changed the way the world views classical ballerinas.
Aside from dancing, Misty Copeland has partnered with major companies such as: Under Armour, T-Mobile, and Coach just to name a few. She even has her own Barbie doll! Misty has also written a book, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, co-written a children’s book, and last summer married her longtime boyfriend, Olu Evans.
Misty Copeland did not come from money or a stable home life, she started dance “late”, and was criticized for her body. Despite this, Misty has accomplished so much and inspired so many, making her living proof that anything is possible if you work hard enough.
