Misty Copeland: Photos of the Ballet Dancer Over the Years

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Misty changed ballet for the better and has announced her retirement from ABT. See photos of the dancer over the years here.

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

In 2025, Misty announced her retirement from ABT. Click through the gallery for more photos of the talented dancer below.

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