Ballet dancer Misty Copeland is the first African-American woman to be named a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater.
The 75-year-old company announced the promotion Tuesday. Currently starring in its production of Swan Lake, Copeland has spoken openly about the challenges of being black in the mostly white world of classical ballet.
"That's been one of the excuses ... saying that African-Americans are too muscular or just aren't lean enough. Usually they say, 'Oh, they have flat feet so they just don't have the flexibility that it takes to create the line in a point shoe,'" Copeland told NPR in an interview last year. "And I think it's just something maybe I will never escape from: those people who are narrow-minded. But my mission, my voice, my story, my message is not for them. I think it's more important to think of the people I am influencing and helping to see a broader picture of what beauty is."
Copeland is involved with the ABT's Project Plié, which aims to bring ballet to underrepresented communities, and standing outside the Metropolitan Opera Tuesday, Copeland told reporters that she was looking forward to a future with more "brown dancers" in the company.
"I had moments of doubting myself and wanting to quit because I didn't know that there would be a future for an African-American woman to make it to this level. At the same time, it made me so hungry," Copeland said.
The 32-year-old has previously been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People. She's also authored a children's book and a memoir -- "Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina" -- and collected numerous endorsement deals, like this ad for Under Armour which has been viewed more than 8 million times:
Copeland was promoted along with fellow ABT soloist Stella Abrera. She is the first black ballerina to be named principal at ABT, and the second black dancer overall. Desmond Richardson, a black male dancer, was a principal with the company in 1977-1978, and returned as a guest artist later. She and two other dance legends — Raven Wilkinson and Carmen de Lavallade — will be at The Greene Space July 17.
Copeland was born in Kansas City, Mo. and raised in San Pedro, Calif. She started taking ballet lessons when she was 13.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.