Curtains down: Misty Copeland broke a ballet barrier and became a star

Ten years ago, Misty Copeland was named the first Black female principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. She was 32, which, for a ballet dancer, isn’t exactly young. But she took the flame, and she ran with it. Like it was a sprint.

Soon, she’ll come to a stop. Copeland has announced in an interview with The New York Times Magazine that she is retiring from Ballet Theatre after a final performance in the fall.

She waited a long time for her chance to make history. But once she claimed the mantle, she didn’t waste any time — not just as a dancer but also as an ambassador for diversity in dance and the advancement of Black performers in ballet. She was someone who was admired from afar (the fandom went deep) but also listened to.

She had a cause and a platform. And it was immediately apparent that she had a gift for speaking about serious subjects to the general public. She had pull. Devotees attended her performances in droves. Suddenly, the Metropolitan Opera House, where Ballet Theatre has a season each year, was full of families and enthusiastic Black and brown girls.

I only wish the company had promoted Copeland earlier so she could have had more time to grow her artistry. By then, she had been with Ballet Theatre a long time — since 2001 — and had been a soloist since 2007. Her body, during her principal years, was prone to injury. And then the pandemic happened. All ballet dancers face the inevitable end, but she was really in a race against time. The stakes were higher for her as a Black woman in ballet, a field that has been slow to address its problems of racial inequity, particularly when it comes to women.

Copeland pushed herself to do more, whether giving speeches with grace or appearing on shows like “Late Night With Jimmy Kimmel,” where she led the host and his sidekick, Guillermo, through ballet steps. They wore tutus; she did not. Her exasperation with them is funny, down-to-earth and blunt — and, therefore, so Copeland. “Today,” she says in a deadpan, "ballet died.”

The sketch concludes with a dance set to music from “Swan Lake,” in which Copeland joins Kimmel and Guillermo, all three centre stage, surrounded by members of Ballet Theatre. What stands out are not the leads, but a Black dancer behind Copeland: Calvin Royal III, who was named a principal in 2020.

Copeland helped to pave the way for dancers of colour to rise, not just at Ballet Theatre but at companies and schools around the country. She encouraged young dancers to pursue ballet because there she was, proof that a career could happen — and at the highest level. Her presence was a guidepost for parents, too: Ballet could be more than just their child’s adolescent dream.

Her success encouraged ballet companies to set sail on her gossamer wings — not so much because of the growing demand for diversity, equity and inclusion but because opening up ballet to a new audience was a smart move. This was business. And at Ballet Theatre, Copeland was a box-office sensation.

Ballet still suffers from a dearth of Black women, though it has been changing incrementally. Some of that change happens behind the scenes. Copeland herself has a foundation through which she has started a curriculum called Be Bold to expose children to ballet. She plans to continue her work there. Period.

©️The New York Times Company