Misty Copeland: Long-standing Ballet Dancer Photography

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Misty has changed ballet for the better and announced her retirement from ABT. Check out photos of dancers over the years here.

Misty Copeland She was an American ballet dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and made history as the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the 75-year history of ABT. Despite not starting ballet until she was 13, Misty was considered a genius in her field. She auditioned for several dance programs in 1999, each offering to enroll in the summer program, and was to perform at ABT as part of the summer intensive programmes in 1999 and 2000. By the end of the first summer, she was offered a spot to ABT, but her mother insisted on graduating first high school in California. In September 2000, she joined ABT Studio Company, ABT’s second company, and in 2001 she became a member of Corps de Ballet. In 2007, he was appointed soloist at ABT, the youngest ever. Then, on June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African-American woman to be promoted to ballerina principal in the 75-year history of ABT. She is one of the top-ranked ballerinas in history.

In 2025, Misty announced his retirement from ABT. Click on the gallery to add more photos of the talented dancers below.

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