The Meaning of Misty Copeland

11 dancers reflect on the barrier-breaking ballerina.

The Meaning of Misty Copeland

To mark International Women’s Day 2021, we're celebrating some of our favorite women—with tributes from some of their favorite women. From Misty Copeland to Judy Blume, these women have inspired us, moved us, and shown us that a better world is possible. We’ll be sharing their stories here all week.

In American in 2021, there are two classes of professional ballet dancers: There’s Misty Copeland, and then there’s everyone else.

Copeland is the defining ballet dancer of this era, a crossover figure who is not only one of the finest dancers in the country, but also someone who has captured the imagination of a generation that demands equity and social justice in all areas of their lives. For too long, ballet has been seen as a world apart, a place where the changing social norms that shape the lives and minds of young people outside of the dance studio—like feminism and racial justice—cease to apply. To her fans and followers, Copeland represents the end of all that.

And for Black dancers, especially girls and women, she’s an idol: someone who wasn’t born into a dancing family, who started relatively late and learned she had extraordinary natural gifts, and who has since worked hard to hone her talent. What’s more, once she started dancing, she didn’t settle for scraps. She made sure that she got the recognition that she deserved. In 2015, American Ballet Theater promoted her to Principal Dancer, making her the first (and, so far, the only) Black woman to dance at the company’s highest rank. Despite injury and a troubled relationship with eating, despite a body that—by ballet’s rigid standards—could have been seen as too curvy and muscular, and despite the art form’s closely guarded whiteness, Copeland succeeded.

Copeland is not the first Black woman to attain a principal rank at an American ballet company; Dance Theater of Harlem has been casting Black dancers in principal roles since its founding in 1969. And she herself is quick to note that she stands on the shoulders of Black ballerinas who came before her. Still, watching her triumph is many people’s first experience of seeing a high-profile Black ballerina in action.

Younger dancers with dreams of center stage have been raised on a steady diet of Misty iconography, from her Firebird Barbie to several books and a documentary about her. Their relationship runs even deeper than fandom; it feels personal. “I feel like everyone always has this tiny voice in their head that doubts them and tells them that they can’t do it,” one young dancer said, “and I feel like role models like Misty Copeland are the voices that say you can.”

For older members of the dance world—for teachers, for ballet-goers—she’s a powerful symbol of overdue recognition, too. One ballet teacher told me that Copeland serves as a profound example of what hard work can do, even if you get a late start. That same teacher told me, “I wish when I was dancing in my teens and pre-teens that I had someone who looked like me.”

Here, dance students, teachers, activists, and Copeland’s ABT colleagues reflect on what living in the era of Misty has meant to them.

“She shows me that I can make it in the world”

Misty Copeland means inspiration to me. She means opportunity and possibility, and me being myself. She shows me that I can make it in the world and do what I love without being judged. She shows strength and resilience and perseverance. Being a Black woman in the ballet industry is really tough, and there’s lots of criticism that she endures. Her mindset towards it is amazing and inspirational. I feel like she turns negative comments into inspiration and just pushes harder.

She shows strength, elegance, musicality, and heart and soul in her dancing. A lot of people think she’s more muscular, but I think that just shows her strength and athleticism. I’ve always tried to have her calves; that’s one thing I’ve always wanted.

I feel like everyone always has this tiny voice in their head that doubts them and tells them that they can’t do it, and role models like Misty Copeland are the voices that say you can. — Kennedy George, 14, co-CEO and co-founder of Brown Ballerinas for Change

“She makes the movement her own”

Misty Copeland doesn’t dance like anyone else that I’ve seen. It’s very special to her, and she makes the movement her own. That’s something I try to do—and probably one of the reasons I look up to her. That’s one of the cool things about dance: Someone can give you the choreography and you can add your own touches.

I think her story is really inspiring, and our organization tries to be that, too. We do performances in our community, and it’s super cool to know that you can give back to the place where you come from, and that someone can look up to you from a smallish town. My mom and I wrote a book called My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams, and seeing little girls posing with the book in their hands was super cool. Dance needs to be more inclusive, and we’re going to keep speaking out about that in the future. — Ava Holloway, 14, co-CEO and co-founder of Brown Ballerinas for Change

“She’s not doing dance to change her body. She’s doing it because she loves it”

When I was little my mom showed me a video of Misty Copeland doing The Firebird, and I wanted to be her so bad, and I begged my mom every day to do dance so I could be just like her when I grow up. And she said I had to research what ballet was and what you have to wear, and I did that. One day when I came home from school, she gave me ballet shoes and I cried.

She’s a role model for me. She inspires me so much to keep on pushing and never let anybody bring you down for doing something that you love.

I always think to myself, “I’m not good enough. It isn’t good enough. I don’t look like other dancers in my class,” and I always think of Misty right next to me, pushing me to do my best and to do what I love.

She made me feel positively about my body, because she talks about body positivity, and she’s not doing dance to change her body. She’s doing it because she loves it and it’s how she expresses her emotions. That’s why I dance, too. — Shania Gordon, 15, co-CEO and co-founder of Brown Ballerinas for Change

“She’s different from other dancers”

In sports like cheer and gymnastics and dance, you see all these kids starting at age two and three, and I couldn’t do that because my family couldn’t afford it. Her story is cool because she started at an older age, and she’s obviously been able to overcome that. I started a little later than most, and that just pushes me to work harder each day, because I wasn’t born into that training. I think it’s inspiring how much she grew in such a short amount of time, compared to other dancers who had a head start on her.

Obviously, she’s different from other dancers, and ballet is still a very white artform. I’ve grown up in a white area and I’m very much a minority. I feel like her example has influenced and inspired other dancers to use their voices. — Sophia, 17, co-CEO and co-founder of Brown Ballerinas for Change

“There will always be a need for her voice”

As a ballet mom, she gives my daughter someone to look for. Representation absolutely matters. I know people are tired of hearing people say that, but it is so important. Little girls and little boys need someone who looks like them doing the thing that it is that they want to do. Misty is one of the very few people in recent times who has been able to jump in front and be seen. It makes other girls know that oh, if she did it, it’s possible for me to do it too.

She’ll always have a place in the dance community as a mentor. She’s a great mentor to a lot of dancers, professional and budding. But her example inspires people in all kinds of fields. How do you navigate this world where you don’t feel like you fit in? How do you navigate these rooms where you may feel uncomfortable but you still have to show out? There will always be a need for her voice in these conversations; she has solidified her place in dance history. — TaKiyah Wallace, founder, Brown Girls Do Ballet

“She reinvigorated a conversation that needed to be had”

When I joined [American Ballet Theatre], Misty was still a soloist, and she was kind of a mentor from afar. She was very supportive of me whenever I would see her. She was also very helpful when it came to understanding the responsibilities of my position as a featured Black dancer at ABT, given that there weren’t any besides me and her and Calvin Royal III at the time. We needed to lead by example. To work hard and be our best and be there every day.

It was difficult for me, and I think it’s difficult for a lot of people in ballet to speak out, because not only are we all trained not to speak back or speak up, but on top of it because Black people are so scarce, it’s difficult to feel comfortable, especially when you’re not in a position of power like a higher rank. More recently, I found my voice. I think it was more because of the Black Lives Matter movement and being fed up with being stuck with a racist regime.

Her presence, her personality, what she brought to the forefront as an artist and an activist—she will be the stepping stone, and her legacy will be as the person who reinvigorated a conversation that needed to be had and needs to keep being had. Raising her voice, raising her hand, in a moment when I and the generations behind me needed to see it most. — Gabe Stone Shayer, principal dancer, American Ballet Theater

“Everyone can look at her career and story, and find some part of themselves in it.”

When I think of Misty, I think of strength, of perseverance, and of joy. When I was growing up, I didn’t see a lot of representation around me in Seattle, and she is one of the dancers that helped me to believe that I could make it as well. I remember when I was nine I found an ABT book at a bookstore and a photo of her was in it. I was so overjoyed at the fact that a Black woman was in the book, I ripped the page out and never looked back!

Now, I am a dancer at Pacific Northwest Ballet and the first Black woman to join the company in over 30 years. Aside from my hard work and talent, I wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am without the continuous work and dedication from Misty throughout her whole career. It is because of her and so many other dancers of color that my generation and the generations after us will be able to continuously change the ballet world and the meaning of what it is to be a ballerina.

Misty’s career has not just opened doors within the ballet world, but she has also made her work and presence accessible to more than just audiences at the Met. She has made ballet feel more tangible in everyday life. It is what makes her career and her as a person so extraordinary. Everyone can look at her career and story, and find some part of themselves in it. — Amanda Morgan, corps de ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet

“She brought awareness to my case”

The first and the only time I’ve met Misty Copeland was ten years ago. I was traveling in America, looking for a job and I got the opportunity to train with ABT for a few days. And I saw her—a beautiful ballerina with amazing feet, crazy lines, drawn muscles, perfect body shape. I was staring at her, impressed and thrilled to see a Black ballerina soloist for the first time. She’s truly an inspiration and one of the best ballerinas in America.

I decided to stand up for myself because I experienced racism in a brutal way I couldn't accept anymore. What Misty did was she supported me. She has a lot of followers and she decided to share my story on Instagram and Twitter, and in America my story was widely shared because of her support. She brought awareness to my case. — Chloé Lopes Gomes, Berlin State Ballet

“I know there is so much more in store for her”

Misty is one of the kindest and most generous people I know. She has put such care and focus into her dance and has become one of the most influential icons of this generation. It’s always an honor to stand next to her and I am forever inspired how, through her work and platform, she continues to empower young Black and brown people of all ages to follow in her footsteps. I know that there is so much more in store for her. She is a natural leader, a superwoman, an incredible friend, and balances it all with grace. — Calvin Royal III, Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre

“She taught me to be proud of being a Black dancer”

I remember the first time I saw Misty Copeland in person. It was at a rehearsal with Washington Ballet for Swan Lake and at the time I was a student at the school. In just one small rehearsal, she taught me so much! She taught me that it is okay to mess up; dancers are still human. She showed me that having confidence in myself as a person will help me develop confidence as a dancer. The most important thing she taught me is to be proud of being a Black dancer in the ballet world. The ballet world is already hard enough, but being a Black girl in the ballet world is even tougher!

Misty, you have broken such a huge barrier and it has inspired so many Black female dancers, both young and old. I hope you continue to do more and more great things in the dance world! — Nya Cunningham, 15, ballet student, Baltimore School for the Arts

“Thank you for seeing all the brown girls”

Misty,

I love your TRUTH. I have found comfort in your truth when you share your struggle as a bi-racial woman. It helps me when it feels no side accepts me and I feel trapped between two worlds.

I have found hope in your truth as I’ve struggled with being homeless recently. To hear your story of similar times gives me hope that I can rise above it all even when most see me as a person with no possible path.

Thank you for seeing all the brown girls and shining a light with your passion to make it a little bit easier so we can possibly one day belong. — Addison Grace Mouser, ballet student, The Dallas Conservatory

Chloe Angyal is a contributing editor at MarieClaire.com and the author of the forthcoming book Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers Is Saving Ballet From Itself

This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Chloe Angyal